I Wanna Do Bad Things With You
by Tania-Terror
Summary: True Blood AU but no True Blood characters. Mickey learns that the boy he and his brothers saved isn't really a boy. He's not even human. He's a vampire! Title taken from the True Blood theme Bad Things by Jace Everett.
1. Coming Out Of The Coffin (Closet)

**Chapter 1: Prologue - Coming Out of the Closet (Coffin)**

* * *

**Notes:** I like vampires as much, if not more so, than anything Shameless related. So, I decided to combine my love of vampires (specifically True Blood because I loooove that show), and my love of some of my favorite Shameless characters. As it says in the summary, there will be _no_ characters from TB in this fic so you don't have to be familiar with the show to understand this story. At most, I'll mention a few, like Nan Flanagan and Steve Newlin since they're public figures in the show but that's all. This fic will also not follow the True Blood storyline or the books it's based on, it just takes place within the TB universe. I'll also probably be drawing inspiration from other vampire pop culture things.  
If you have any questions or need me to explain something, please don't hesitate to ask. Alright, let's begin. :)

* * *

Coming out was a lot easier than Mickey thought it'd be.

He was in a bar with a room full of people, his family mostly. They were celebrating his father's parole from prison. Mickey eyed Terry, his father, from across the room. He leaned back against a wall near the pool table, watching his father with such disdain. Terry sat at a small circular table with a few of his brothers, a hooker in his lap, beer in hand, and cigarette dangling from his lips. Anger boiled inside Mickey just looking at that abusive piece of shit. He wished time and time again to posses enough strength to kill the bastard. But he knew he'd never beat Terry in a fight. There was only one other thing Mickey could think of that would drive that proverbial stake through his father's heart, but Mickey _really_ didn't want to do that. Though, the longer he watched his father, the more he could feel the words bubbling up his esophagus. And before his mind could catch up with his body, Mickey was calling attention to everybody in the room.

All eyes were on him.

"I just want everybody here to know, I'm fucking gay!" Mickey shouted. "Big ol' mo. Just thought everybody should know that."

The bar became deathly silent.

Mickey was waiting for a reaction. And then he got it.

Terry came at him like a charging bull. He flipped the small table over and advanced towards Mickey with closed fists and screaming profanities. Mickey planted his feet firmly and swung as hard as he could when Terry was finally close enough to hit. He then grabbed a beer bottle from somewhere behind him and smashed it over Terry's head. That was all the damage he could do though before Terry had him pinned to the ground and started pounding his face in. The hard contact of Terry's fists to Mickey's face made it feel like his cheeks were burning. Blood was blurring his vision, or maybe his eyelids were already swelling, he couldn't quite tell. Mickey thought the beating would never stop but was thankful when it finally did.

Before he knew it, Mandy was at his side cradling his head. "I can't believe you just did that."

"Me neither," Mickey managed to choke out.

"I didn't think you'd _ever_ come out."

"What?"

Mandy didn't respond. She just gave her brother a knowing smile.

"Douchebag…"

"Assface."

Mickey didn't know how Mandy already knew was gay, but they were the youngest Milkoviches and closest in age. They always knew things about each other without having to say it out loud. He couldn't be bothered with trying to figure how Mandy knew right now, though. He was still wondering what made Terry stop beating the living shit out of him. He tilted his head some, which was pretty painful, and saw Iggy and Colin wrestling with Terry. Even with the two of them gaining up on him, Terry was a formidable foe.

Everyone else in the bar, Mickey's relatives and other patrons, just looked on as the trio kept grappling. Mickey was surprised none of his uncles were helping Terry, but they didn't seem too interested in sticking their necks out for him when he literally just got out of prison a few hours ago. When Mickey turned his face away from the scene he caught sight of Kate, one of the owners of the bar, reaching for her phone to call the police. Mandy must have seen her too because she carefully let go of Mickey and walked behind the counter towards her. She stole Kate's phone out of her hand before she could dial.

"Hey!" Kate protested. "I have to call this in."

"No, you don't," Mandy said simply. "I got this."

Without giving Kate her phone back, Mandy steadily approached her father and brothers, reaching into her purse as she did so. And without any warning, Mandy pulled out a handgun and fired one shot straight into the ceiling, luckily no one was living upstairs. This certainly put a stop to everything.

Iggy and Colin backed away from their father as Mandy took a few more steps forward. She had the gun aimed straight at Terry's head.

"Leave."

"You ain't gonna shoot shit."

Mandy cocked the gun and Terry blanched. He may have spoken too soon.

Iggy seemed pretty convinced as well and softly placed a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Hey, Mandy, c'mon. He's not worth it."

Mandy ignored her brother and addressed Terry once more. "Leave, and _never_ come back."

This time Terry didn't respond. His face seethed with anger but he did as he was told. Reluctantly, Terry turned on his heel, and was forced out of the bar, and out of town, by his youngest and only daughter.

As the door of the bar swung close, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The room felt lighter, as if a weight had been lifted.

Mandy turned around and saw Iggy stepping towards her.

"You were really gonna shoot him, weren't you?" he asked.

Mandy smiled as sly as a fucking fox. She held the gun out to Iggy and popped open the chamber, revealing that it had been empty. "There was just the one bullet in it."

Iggy's mouth hung open and was rendered speechless.

Colin had now joined his two siblings, his eyes wide with amazement. "You are so badass right now."

Mandy chuckled as her eyes scanned the floor where she had left Mickey. He was sitting up now against one of the legs of the pool table.

"Mickey…" Mandy said in a concerned tone, returning to her brother's aid. "You ok?"

"I think I broke half a fuckin' tooth."

Mandy turned to her other brothers, who were standing over their younger siblings. "You guys have a car?"

"Yeah, sure," Iggy replied.

Colin bent down to help his brother up off the floor. "C'mon, man."

"I can still walk," Mickey objected.

It was then that the Milkovich siblings noticed no one was looking at them anymore. The patrons hardly seemed to realize what just happened. Now, their eyes were transfixed on the tv set in the corner of the bar. The Milkovich siblings turned to look at what had everyone so mesmerized.

On the screen was a woman with short, blonde hair. She had an angular jawline and high cheek bones, red lipstick covered her thin lips. The image on the screen was split in half, the blonde woman on one side and another woman, brown skin and dark hair, on the opposite side. The blonde was named Nan Flanagan. She was a… vampire rights activist? And speaking on behalf of the American Vampire League?

_Vampires?_ Mickey thought. _What in the actual fuck?_

Vampires are apparently real. And they're "coming out of the coffin". Mickey scoffed, un-fucking-believable. He looked around the room at the same time everyone broke out into a disembodied murmur. Mickey began chuckling to himself. Revealing his sexuality seemed to be the least important thing in the world at the moment. He was almost thankful to the vampires - almost. He'd be lying to himself if he wasn't at least worried about what it meant that vampires are real. He sighed heavily. He just wanted to go home and go the fuck to sleep, worry about vampires some other night.

As Mickey was being led out of the bar, one of Mickey's uncles made his way towards him. "Gay, huh?"

Mickey supposed it was too much to ask for everyone to forget his admission. They didn't, but they just didn't care. In a world where vampires existed, why the hell would anyone give a shit who you banged? Maybe they wouldn't have cared even _without_ the vampires.

* * *

When Mickey arrived home that night, he noticed Terry's truck wasn't parked in front of their house. _Good riddance_, Mickey thought. And thank fuck for Mandy, and his brothers.

Mickey sat down on the couch in the living room as Mandy went to the kitchen for a wet towel and a beer for her brother. His brothers stood in silence near Mickey. He could sense they wanted to say something, so Mickey prompted them.

"You two just gonna fuckin' stand there all night?"

Iggy and Colin exchanged a glance and then returned their attention to their brother.

"So you really came out, huh?" Iggy asked.

"What?" Mickey blanched. "You _knew_?"

"You gonna start wearing dresses now?" Colin added.

"The fuck?"

"You know, to go with that sparkly blue shit you painted your nails with that one time."

"I never painted my fuckin' nails!"

"Yes, you did," Mandy replied, returning with the towel and beer, and some bandages as well. "I outta know, it was _my_ nail polish."

Mickey vaguely remembers sitting on Mandy's bed at the age of ten, and clumsily applying an intriguing shade of blue, getting more nail polish on his fingers than his nails, his brothers laughing and teasing him. He decides to deny this. "No… no that's bullshit."

Mandy continued, "And when I found you, you made me do your other hand, so one hand was fucked up but the other was damn near perfect."

"Yeah, I remember that," Colin stated further. "Because then Mom came home and told you to take it off before Terry saw it."

Maybe that's why Mickey didn't remember right away, he didn't _want_ to. He didn't want to remember anything about his mother from back then. That was the year she died.

"Bet she knew too," Iggy said what they all were thinking.

Mickey furrowed his brow as Mandy attended to his wounds. He was silent.

"And I bet she didn't care either."

"Whatever," Mickey dismissed, taking a swig of the beer Mandy brought him.

"Alright, fine. Be that way, asshole. I'm going to bed."

"Yeah, see you two in the morning," Colin said as he and Iggy walked to their rooms.

When their brothers were gone, Mandy spoke again. "So, speaking of assholes, are you a top or a bottom?"

"Oh my fucking god!"

"Ok, I'm gonna go with bottom."

Earlier in the night, Mickey thought the cause of his death would have been Terry. Now, he was certain it would be his siblings. He was absolutely mortified.

But all things considered, coming out wasn't that bad - by Mickey's standards anyway.

* * *

In the following months, the Milkovich siblings carried on better than they ever had.

Colin and Iggy were around more than they'd previously been, and even moved back into their old rooms. When Terry lived there, the older Milkovich brothers usually stayed with various girlfriends. Mickey was now pretty sure that had very little to do with the girls his brothers were dating and more about avoiding Terry. He couldn't blame them. There were many times in his youth he wished he lived some place else too. The only thing that prevented him from finding such a place though, was Mandy. He could never leave his little sister behind no matter how bad things got with Terry.

Mandy was smiling again. She'd barely smiled since their mother died. Hell, barely any of the Milkovich siblings smiled since then. Mandy somehow smiled less though. Growing up around a bunch of criminals in the neighborhood they lived in, it made her seem pretty cold and hard at times. Really, she was just sad and lonely. But now, that smile that reminded Mickey so much of their mother was gracing her lips once again. It made Mickey smile too.

Mickey decided to move into Terry's room because why the fuck not? It had been months, almost an entire year, and not a single call had come of their father. Mandy must have really scared him off, or maybe he was dead. He hoped for the latter. Either way, Mickey finally figured it's not like the asshole was gonna come back. And out of all the bedrooms in the house, his was the smallest. Sure, he had his own bathroom but he'd gladly give that up for a larger bed.

If not for those fucking vampires, everything in the Milkovich house would be picture fucking perfect. As dangerous as it was to be out at night in their neighborhood before, it became even more dangerous. Mickey didn't know of any vampires actually living in the south side but that didn't stop bodies turning up in the morning, drained dry with two small puncture wounds on their necks.

Mickey had yet to meet a vampire though. None of the Milkovich siblings had. Vampires were finally out but so far they kept their presence hidden in the neighborhood. Mickey was glad. He really didn't want anything to disturb the new established lives he and his siblings were living.

* * *

**Notes:** Ok, I kind of have a soft spot for the Milkovich siblings lol. 3  
For those unfamiliar with TB, "coming out of the coffin" is a play on "coming out of the closet" but I think that's pretty obvious.  
And I am making Mandy the only Milkovich girl, no Molly. Though, I wish they did keep her around longer on the show. :/


	2. When You Came In The Air Went Out

**Chapter 2: When You Came In The Air Went Out**

* * *

**Notes:** Chapter title in reference to the song Bad Things. I swear I like that song too much lol.  
Most of the chapter titles will be inspired by songs. I have a playlist called "For Writing Vampire Things" haha.

* * *

"I don't have a good feeling about this," Mickey admitted to his brothers.

They were in their car, Mickey driving, on their way to make a drug deal - at night. Mickey had been adamant about not doing business at night anymore since the vampires came out. And this was their last big drug deal before going legit. Everything _had_ to go smoothly.

"Tonight's the only time they could meet!" Colin reminded Mickey for the dozenth time from the backseat.

"Who is this guy again?" Iggy asked from beside Mickey.

"Guy I knew in juvie and some of his buddies."

"Yeah, we all know what a great judge of character you are," Mickey replied sarcastically. "If this turns out like the time you tried to set us up with one of Terry's old contacts, I swear to _god_, Colin…"

"How was I supposed to know Terry owed him over a grand before he skipped town!"

"Just saying, if this goes south, I'm kicking the shit outta you."

"Jesus, you're so uptight! When's the last time your gay ass got laid?"

"Last night," Iggy interjected.

"How the fuck would you know?" Mickey asked incredulously.

"Ran into the guy leaving when I got home. Must not have been good since you're still so wound up."

"Man, fuck the both of you," Mickey growled at his chuckling brothers.

Mickey was partially mad because Iggy was right, the guy wasn't any good, but he was also mad that his one night stand ran into his brother at all. It didn't matter that his brothers didn't care about his sex life, Mickey still had a tendency to hide it. It was always behind closed doors and Mickey _never_ let anyone spend the night in his bed. Mandy kept nagging him about getting a _real_ boyfriend, whatever the hell that meant. What would Mickey want with a boyfriend? What would they do? Go on dates? Hold hands, picnic, get a dog with a fucking sweater? _Fuck that shit_, Mickey thought. Things were fine as they were.

"Hey, that's it, that's the place," Colin declared, pointing to a mechanic shop that probably sold stolen cars.

Mickey pulled into the driveway and into the garage warily. It was all too dark and too quiet for his liking. "You gotta be shitting me."

"Chill, they're just waiting for us to get out."

"Good thing we came prepared," Iggy noted, tucking a gun from the glove compartment into the waist of his jeans.

"Would you two have a little faith in me."

Just then, the bright lights of the garage turned on and the gate closed behind them, trapping them inside.

"Milkovich!" boomed a voice. "Get outta the car!"

Mickey and Iggy shot their brother a pointed look.

"Ok, maybe I screwed up."

"Fuck!" Mickey swore under his breath.

* * *

Ian didn't know where he was. Last thing he remembered was that he was walking the streets of south side Chicago, making his way to the old house he once lived in with his brothers and sisters. The house was recently put up for sale and Ian jumped at the chance to buy it back. He wanted to move in as soon as possible. Ian didn't think he'd have any trouble walking alone at night because, well, he's a vampire. So, when three or four burly men stepped out of the shadows and surrounded him, seemingly wanting to rob him, Ian thought all he had to do was bare his fangs and the thugs would back off. But they didn't. It seemed they knew exactly what Ian was, and in fact, they were counting on it.

"Cool it, fanger!" one of the men spat when Ian showed his fangs.

Ian was about to get in the guy's face, scare him good, but chains of silver were thrown around his neck by two of the other men. He hissed violently as the metal began burning his skin instantly. He tried to pry it off but the chains just burned his hands instead and Ian dropped to his knees in agony. That's when someone threw a black hood over his head and the men began beating him senseless. And that was it. He must've blacked out because wherever the fuck he was now, he didn't know, and he didn't know how he got there either. It would've helped though if he didn't still have the damn hood over his head too.

But the chains were the worst part, and the men even cuffed him at some point. They stung and burned his flesh, cutting into his neck and wrists. The silver also made him weak, causing his wounds from the beating to remain fresh instead of healing almost as soon as he received them. He tried not to struggle against his restraints as much as possible since that only caused him more pain, and he figured he should save his energy for when he finally got free. Despite being a vampire, Ian didn't like killing humans. But for a group of south side scum that just beat him and kidnapped him to who knows where, he'd maybe make an exception. And Ian was developing a fierce appetite. Feeling this weak and this angry sure made a vampire hungry.

Suddenly, Ian heard a door open and close. Ok, so he's in a room somewhere, that's a start. There was a sound of footsteps coming closer to him. Probably the men from before. Ian didn't realize he'd been lying on the floor until he was dragged up to his feet by one of the men and leaving the room he'd been in. He smelled the scent of oil and gasoline and figured he must be in some sort of chop shop, though he wasn't sure what the point was in bringing him to a place like that. And then Ian could hear shouting.

"I said get outta the car," he head a voice roar. "And empty your fuckin' pockets!"

Ian heard the doors of a car open and close, followed by low, muttering curses.

"C'mon, Darrel. What're you doin', man?" a voice asked. It was Colin.

"Shut the fuck up, Milkovich! You think I don't know it was you who fucked my girl while I was still locked up?"

"That was years ago. I was kinda hoping you did, yeah…"

"Jesus Christ, Colin," Mickey huffed.

"Will, make sure these dipshits don't have anything on them," Darrel ordered. "And TJ, get their keys and open the trunk."

One of the men beside Ian walked off, he must've been the one named "TJ". There was a series of noises that sounded like Darrel's henchmen were carrying out the tasks they'd been ordered. The group that got out of the car being patted down, one of them complaining when they found his gun, more swearing under breaths, a car trunk opening, something being taken out. Drugs, this is a drug deal gone terribly wrong Ian surmised. He still didn't understand how he fit into all this.

"Nick, you don't have to keep watching that piece of shit. We got what we want."

And with that, someone punched Ian in the stomach and shoved him on the ground.

"Who the fuck is that?" Iggy asked.

"You're about to find out," Darrel answered slyly.

_Shit_, Ian thought. He knew now what Darrel had planned. He was going to feed these poor fuckers to Ian. Under normal circumstances, as normal for a vampire anyway, Ian would never kill a human he fed from. But after being beaten like he was, he'd be lying if he thought it'd be easy to resist killing just about anything at the moment. His fight or flight senses were flaring and he wasn't anywhere near the control he was usually so proud of possessing. His stomach growled and mouth watered with hunger, his fangs already fully extended.

"Jesus, what the hell did you guys do to him?" Colin asked when he noticed the blood from Ian's wounds.

"Let's go," Darrel commanded, ignoring Colin.

"Hey, what the fuck? What are you doing?" Mickey questioned as the men left them in the garage, locking the doors behind them.

The three Milkovich brothers tried to pry the doors unsuccessfully. Mickey even tried to pick the locks but it seemed something had been placed against all the doors, making them incapable of budging even the slightest bit.

"Fuck," Mickey cursed for the hundredth time that night. "Hey," he was addressing Ian, "know a way outta here?"

Ian heard Mickey's footsteps approaching him. "Stay the fuck away from me!" he hissed, trying to move away from the footsteps. Ian really didn't want to kill some guys who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Hey, man, it's cool. Just let me see those cuffs." Mickey got on his knees to release Ian of his restraints.

"No wait!" Ian tried to warn, but before he knew it his cuffs were being picked.

Mickey thought he saw Ian's wrists burning, but didn't know what that meant so he thought nothing of it. He finally removed the hood from Ian's head and that's when he realized the danger he just put himself and his brothers in. "Holy fuck!" Mickey exclaimed, falling back on his ass and clambering away from the vampire.

Ian instinctively did the same, though, it was more for Mickey's safety than his own.

"Shit!" Iggy and Colin swore simultaneously, rushing to their brother's side and dragging him away from Ian.

"He's a fucking fanger!" Colin proclaimed.

"Stay away from me! Leave!" Ian shouted.

"We should be saying that to you, _you're_ the vampire!"

"And if you haven't noticed, they locked us in here," Iggy stated further.

"So I could kill you, no doubt," Ian clarified.

"Are you?" Mickey inquired.

"What?" Ian asked, dumbfounded.

"Mickey!" Colin and Iggy snapped. "What the fuck, man," added Iggy.

"Are you going to kill us?" Mickey repeated, ignoring his brothers. "You're hurt, hungry. What gives?"

Ian blinked, nonplussed. "I - I don't want to kill you. You're not the ones who did this to me. Those assholes who stole whatever you had kidnapped me, chained me like an animal and beat the shit outta me… I'd rather get back at _them_."

"Seems we have a common enemy then," Mickey began. "How about we help each other out of this mess and go find the assholes who put us in this shitty situation."

Ian didn't know what to think in that moment. Humans didn't usually strike up a bargain upon meeting a vampire, nor were any of them so calm. Well, he knew Mickey wasn't calm exactly, he could hear his heart beating faster than normal, but it wasn't as fast as Iggy's or Colin's. Ian could tell the other two were far more afraid by how quickly their hearts were racing. And Mickey's face showed no sign of fear either. He was so good at hiding what he felt, he almost had Ian convinced he really wasn't scared. Mickey's placid demeanor put Ian slightly at ease.

"Well?" Mickey pressed.

"Yeah," Ian agreed with a nod.

"Alright then, want me to get those?" Mickey asked, motioning to the chains still around Ian's neck.

Ian only nodded once in response, the chains were burning him pretty badly. Mickey moved towards the vampire.

"Mickey," Iggy whispered cautiously and grabbed his brother by the elbow.

"He won't do anything," Mickey said with such certainty that Iggy furrowed his brow in confusion.

Iggy sighed defeatedly and let his brother go.

Mickey slowly made his way towards Ian, kneeling in front of where he sat, and reaching for the silver chains. As he pulled the first chain off, Ian growled through the pain, his skin sizzling. Then the second chain finally came off. Ian was so relieved to have that damn metal off his skin, he slumped back against a wall almost comfortably, resting his eyes.

"You ok?" Mickey asked.

When Ian looked up at Mickey, he was met with the clearest blue eyes he'd ever seen. He was sure if he had a pulse, it would have stopped. His gaze was unwavering and made Mickey a little self conscious, a pink blush slowly spreading onto his cheeks. Ian seemed to catch this and half-smirked at Mickey.

"Uh, I asked if you're ok?" Mickey repeated.

"Yeah, I'm good," the vampire answered. "I'm Ian by the way. Ian Gallagher."

"Mickey… Milkovich." Mickey's brothers came up behind him. "These are my brothers, Iggy and Colin."

Ian nodded in acknowledgment.

"So, what do you say we get the hell outta here, Gallagher?"

Ian smiled at Mickey's lighthearted tone. "You bet."

"C'mon, get up," Mickey said rising to his feet and offering Ian a hand.

But Ian didn't take it. He couldn't help staring at Mickey's wrist, the blueish-green veins pumping the red life he craved. Ian screwed his eyes shut and snapped his head away. "Shit!"

"What's wrong?"

"I need to feed."

"Not it!" Colin declared.

"Would you shut the fuck up? You got us in enough shit for the night," Iggy scolded.

Mickey huffed at his brothers before returning his attention to Ian. "What do you need?"

Ian dug into his pockets and presented Mickey with a crumpled up piece of paper. "I need you to call this number. Tell the woman who answers to send over two males, O negative."

"Are you going to kill them?" Mickey asked.

"No, it's not like that. They're, uh… prostitutes, in a sense. But they sell their blood instead of their bodies. Well, some do both."

Mickey nodded and dialed the number.

"Why do they have to be guys?" Iggy questioned. "You gay or something?"

"That a problem?" Ian asked vexedly, licking his fangs to remind Iggy he was in fact talking to a vampire.

"No!" Iggy said, holding his hands up in defense. "No problem at all. Mickey's gay."

Mickey's heart skipped a beat, Ian noticed. He shot his brother a pointed look as he waited for an answer on his phone.

"Yeah, he's totally gay," Colin chimed in. "Came out to a whole fucking bar."

Ian smiled in amusement, looking between Mickey and his brothers.

"I swear to _god_ if you two don't shut up right now-"

_"Hello?"_ a female voice from the other end of Mickey's phone cut off. The woman had a thick Russian accent.

"Uh, hello," Mickey greeted awkwardly. "I, uh, need two males, O negative, to be sent to a mechanic shop called 'Darrel's Garage'."

_"What is address?"_

"I don't fucking know…" Mickey could hear a string of Russian curses being muttered at him. He moved the phone away from his ear and tucked it in the crook of his neck. "Gallagher, I don't know what the fuck she's saying."

"Tell her it's Ian, the guys are for me."

Mickey moved his phone back to it's original position. "Look, the guys are for Ian. Ian Gallagher. That name mean anything to you? He's kind of a mess right now." There was a long pause at the end of the line.

_"Stupid fucking orange vampire… I will send someone soon."_ The woman hung up.

"Ok…" Mickey said, unsure what that was all about. "She said she's sending someone over."

"Good," Ian replied, finally forcing himself to stand. He looked around the garage. "Uh, I think those guys were keeping me over here." Ian walked off, leading the way to what looked like an office room. Ian tried the doorknob. "It's locked."

"Let me," Mickey said as he fetched out an unrolled paperclip from his pocket.

"Pretty good at that, aren't you?"

Mickey looked over at Ian, blushing again at his compliment. "I guess…"

They stared at each other after there was a _click_ from the knob, neither noticed Mickey successfully picked the lock.

"Well, if you two are done eye-fucking, I'm heading in," Iggy interrupted, walking past his brother and Ian, Colin following behind.

Ian smirked at Mickey and walked in the room.

Mickey did his best to ignore his brother's comment and the way Ian looked at him. When he entered, Mickey felt around the wall for a light switch and flicked it on when he found it. "Hey," he nodded ahead of himself, "window."

Colin opened the blinds and tapped the glass. It didn't seem all that sturdy so he and Iggy picked up two of the metal chairs in the office. They proceeded to bang on the window with the chairs until it shattered. They ran the legs of the chairs along the windowsill to make sure there wasn't any glass sticking out. Carefully, the Milkovich brothers, and Ian, made their way through the broken window. As soon as they stepped outside, a black sedan with tinted windows pulled up into the driveway.

Colin let out a long, high-pitched whistle. "That for you?" he asked Ian.

"Yeah," Ian answered, extending his fangs. He'd unconsciously retracted them at some point.

One of the car doors opened, and two men popped their heads out, inviting Ian in with a wriggle of their fingers.

"Wait here," Ian said to Mickey. "This won't take long."

Mickey watched as Ian eagerly entered the vehicle, a frown slowly sneaking up on his face. He looked away and absentmindedly caught Iggy staring at him. "What?"

Iggy shook his head, feigning ignorance. "Nothin'."

Mickey clicked his tongue. "Fuck off."

The car door abruptly swung open. Ian practically jumped out, his strength back and wounds healed. He licked at the blood dripping from the corners of his mouth. "Tell Lana I owe her one," he called out over his shoulder as the car drove off. He turned to face the Milkovich brothers but was looking to Mickey. "I'm at 2119 North Wallace. Meet me there." And in the blink of an eye, Ian was gone, his vampiric speed whisking him away.

"Dude, what the fuck?" Colin asked in amazement.

"This is turning out to be a pretty weird night," Iggy added.

"Yeah, no shit," Mickey replied. He realized their car was locked inside the garage. "C'mon, let's see if we can hot-wire one of these cars."

* * *

After momentarily stopping back at their house to pick up what guns they had left, Mickey drove himself and his brothers to Ian's place. Mickey found the house with ease, only a few blocks from where he and his siblings lived. He parked the car in front of the house and went up the steps, Iggy and Colin following their brother's lead. He knocked on the door only twice before the redheaded vampire answered.

"Hey," Ian greeted with a smile.

Ian looked different, Mickey noted. Now that Ian's wounds were healed, Mickey took in how flawless Ian's skin was, speckled with just the right amount of freckles. Ian had changed clothes too. He wasn't wearing the blood stained outfit Mickey found him in. Ian was wearing jeans and a dark green tank top that brought out the green in his eyes. His hair was slicked back, a small ringlet hanging above his right eyebrow. Mickey had to fight the urge to tuck the rebellious lock of red hair back in place. He internally chided himself for having even thought such a thing before continuing to asses the vampire. Ian looked so… _young_. He couldn't have been a day over eighteen when he was turned.

"Hey," Mickey mimicked.

The two resumed their staring from earlier in the night. Mickey's brothers cleared their throats loudly, making sure the pair got the message.

"Come in," Ian invited, stepping aside to allow the three Milkoviches inside.

"Not much in here," Colin stated, taking in the empty living room.

"I just bought this place. Haven't had the chance to move in yet," Ian explained. "In fact, I was on my way here tonight when those guys jumped me."

"Then what are we doing here?" Iggy inquired.

"What do you mean?"

"No offense, but why are we here? We should be going after those fuckers."

"And where the hell do we start looking?" Mickey asked his brother, then turned to Ian. "You had that hood on you the whole time right?"

Ian nodded. "Yeah, but I think I know where we can start."

"Alright," Iggy said, clasping his hands together. "Let's get a move on then."

* * *

Ian led the Milkovich brothers towards the L tracks. He and Mickey were walking side by side. They stole glances when they thought the other wasn't looking, and when they thought the older Milkoviches didn't notice - they did. Colin looked to Iggy, raising an eyebrow in question and held up two fingers. Iggy shook his head with an amused smile and held up one finger. Silently, they had wagered how many weeks it would take for Ian and Mickey to finally fuck.

"I was walking along here when…"

"What is it, what's wrong?" Mickey asked when Ian stopped to listen to something the others couldn't hear.

As a vampire, Ian had very keen senses. "One of the guys is right over there, in that alley. He's already selling the drugs they stole from you."

"Motherfucker…" Colin huffed. "What are we waiting for?"

Ian watched as the three brothers before him each took out a gun and cocked it, ready to fire at will. It seemed they were out for blood as much as Ian was.

"Kay, Iggy, take dumbass, here, one street over," Mickey ordered.

Colin didn't appreciate the name calling and flipped his brother off.

Mickey ignored him and continued. "Cut this guy off on the other side of the alley." He then turned to Ian. "You and me will take this side."

"You always this bossy?" Ian asked in a slightly flirtatious tone.

It seemed only Mickey picked up on it though. "No!"

"Yeah, you are," Colin interjected.

"Whatever. Just do what I fuckin' say and maybe this time our plans won't go to shit."

Begrudgingly, Colin did as he was told and followed Iggy.

When Iggy and Colin were out of earshot, Mickey turned to Ian. "You really need to stop that."

"Stop what?" Ian asked, making his voice sound as innocent as possible. He tilted his head slightly and raised an eyebrow at Mickey.

Mickey looked away immediately, too embarrassed that Ian made him blush _again_.

Ian chuckled. "You're way too easy to mess with."

Mickey's head snapped back. "Oh, so you're just messing with me?"

"Are you upset because I'm messing with you or because you think I'm not really interested?"

Mickey was about to tell this cocky vampire to go fuck himself when his phone vibrated. It was Iggy.

_"in position. how's ur vamp?"_

_"he's not my vamp. fuck off!"_

_"r u gonna become a fangbanger?"_

_"jfc. just start movin in on the guy"_

"Let's go," Mickey said, nodding off to the alley.

Iggy and Colin got to the dealer first. He'd just finished up a sale with a thin, frail, blonde woman. When he noticed the two older Milkoviches coming his way, he cursed under his breath and turned to run in the opposite direction. He then saw Mickey and Ian coming for him as well. He turned around once more, unsure of what to do next. He looked between the two groups apprehensively. They prowled closer and closer. The man threw his hands up in surrender, backing up against a brick wall.

Ian turned to address the blonde, who seemed frozen in place. "Get out of here."

She nodded nervously and ran off.

"Hey, so you're not dead," the man attempted to joke with the Milkovich brothers. Though, that wasn't a wise choice since they all had their guns aimed at him.

"Shut the fuck up!" Mickey barked. "Which one are you?"

"N-Nick…"

That got Ian's attention. He crowded closer to Nick. "Yeah, aren't you the one who punched me in the stomach earlier?"

"Hey, I'm not the only one who beat on you," Nick tried to reason. "C'mon, three guns and a fanger? That hardly seems fair."

"It wasn't fair either when you and your buddies attacked me with chains of silver. You know, that shit _really_ burns." Ian extended his fangs with a hiss.

"Alright, alright, alright! You wanna know where the others are, don't you?"

"Yeah," Ian began, "but there's only one way to be sure you're not lying." Ian grabbed Nick by his chin, forcing him to look into Ian's eyes. "It's ok, Nick. Everything's going to be ok," he whispered gently.

"Everything's going to be ok," Nick repeated in a zombified manner.

"Dude, what the fuck are you doing to him?" Colin asked, further intrigued by another of Ian's vampiric powers.

Ian ignored Colin and continued. "Nick, tell me where we can find the other men who attacked me and stole from my new friends here?"

Mickey scoffed. "We're friends now?"

There was still no reaction from the vampire. "Where are they Nick?"

"They said they were going to the Alibi bar, to celebrate you killing the Milkoviches. They were gonna come back in the morning to make you meet the sun."

"Were they now?"

"Uh-huh, said they wanted to fry you up."

Ian remained in thought for a moment. "Nick, I want you to get the fuck out of this city and don't come back. And don't beat up any more vampires, I'm sure they won't be as nice as me."

"Hold up, I thought we were gonna kill this fucker?" Iggy groused.

Ian ignored Iggy's protests and let Nick go, who started walking away as if he had no autonomy. Ian turned around, heading to the Alibi.

"Hey, Gallagher!" Mickey called out, but there was no answer. Mickey walked up to the vampire and spun him around by his shoulder. "Ian."

Ian met Mickey's blue eyes, surprised to hear him use his first name. He liked how it sounded on Mickey's lips. Ian sighed. "Have you ever killed anyone?" he asked, then looked over at Mickey's brothers. "Have any of you ever killed anyone?"

The Milkovich brothers remained silent. No, they hadn't killed anyone. They've put people in hospitals before, dug their graves. But actually kill? No, not directly anyway, not by their own hands.

"Didn't think so," Ian said at length.

"We would if we had to," Colin pointed out.

"But you don't. You don't have to."

Mickey was searching Ian's face for an unknown answer to an unknown question. Ian's morality had him dumbstruck. He'd hardly met any people with this amount of humanity in them. But Ian's not human, he's a vampire. That only confused Mickey even more.

Sensing Mickey's gaze, Ian looked back to him. "I'll help you find them, beat the shit outta them, scare them off. But we're _not_ killing them."

Mickey let out a long, stressful sigh and nodded. "Ok."

Iggy clicked his tongue. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, c'mon Mickey," Colin added.

Mickey turned around to face his brothers. "Let's just take back what they stole. Think about it, do we really wanna go down because of these assholes? What about Mandy? What, we're just gonna leave her all alone?"

Iggy groaned with frustration. "Shit… fine, alright."

"Why you always gotta bring Mandy into shit?" Colin questioned.

"'Cause if it weren't for her, _we'd_ probably be dead right now."

"Who's Mandy?" Ian asked.

The three Milkoviches answered in unison. "Our sister."

* * *

Mickey drove the hot-wired car to the Alibi bar, his brothers and Ian in tow. He parked across the bar, staking the place out for the thieves. Mickey lit up a cigarette between his lips as the foursome waited. He took a long drag and slowly exhaled the smoke from his lungs, the vapors swirling and dancing around his face.

Ian was captivated sitting beside Mickey. He should have been paying attention to see when the men they were waiting for came out, but he couldn't remember what they looked like, so he didn't see the point. And how could he focus on anything other than Mickey? His dark hair, piercing blue eyes, perfect pink lips, pale skin. He oddly thought Mickey reminded him of Snow White, and knew if he ever told Mickey that, Mickey would surely stake Ian himself. But, _god_, Mickey was beautiful. Ian almost wanted to thank the thugs for kidnapping him - almost. He was still pretty bitter over the silver and the beating.

"So, Ian," Colin began, snapping Ian out of his reverie. "What's it like being a vampire?"

Iggy and Mickey rolled their eyes at their brother.

Ian chuckled. "Uh, I don't know…"

"You remember what it's like being human?"

"A bit…"

"So, how's it compare?"

"I don't know. It's… different."

"Different how?" Mickey pressed, showing genuine interest.

"Just is."

"_You_ ever kill anyone?" Iggy interjected.

"I'm a vampire, and I've been around a long time."

"That doesn't exactly answer the question, Gallagher," Mickey pointed out.

Ian eyed Mickey again instead of responding.

"That why you don't wanna kill these guys now?"

"Death isn't something to be taken lightly, Mick."

Mickey raised an eyebrow at Ian's informal nickname and flicked away his cigarette butt. "Whatever."

"Hey," Iggy spoke up. "There they are."

The group turned to look at three men clumsily spilling out of the entrance to the bar and piling into their car. They seemed pretty buzzed, but apparently sober enough to drive.

Mickey followed them.

* * *

"Where the hell are they going?" Colin asked, when it seemed the car they were following had no sense of direction.

"Fuck, I don't think even _they_ know," Mickey answered. "We should just get this over with once we get to a street with less traffic lights."

Suddenly, Iggy's phone vibrated. "Hey, sis."

_"Where the fuck are you assholes?"_ Mandy growled through the phone. _"I wake up in the middle of the night, you're all still out and there are less guns in the living room than there were when I got home."_

"Colin fucked things up again, shit got outta hand."

Mickey snorted. "Yeah, that's putting it pretty fuckin' lightly."

"Why you two always gotta be such dicks to me?" Colin wondered.

_"Was that Colin?"_ Mandy asked. _"Put me on speaker."_

"Alright, you're on," Iggy informed.

_"Colin, you dumbass, what did you do now?"_

"Ok, this only the second time I've fucked up! I'm sorry!"

_"Oh, you fucking will be!"_

Ian looked over to Mickey. "Y'know, I may be a vampire but you're sister sounds kind of scary."

_"Who the fuck was that?"_

"Uh… I'm Ian."

"Fanger we picked up," Iggy clarified.

_"Holy shit, a vampire?!"_ Mandy exclaimed. _"What the fuck happened?"_

"Can't really talk now Mands," Mickey called out from the driver's seat.

"Yeah, I'll text you when we're comin' back," Iggy said, and hung up before Mandy could get another word out.

It wasn't long before Mickey followed their targets to a residential neighborhood. The roads were darker, the few street lights that lined the sidewalks were mostly broken.

"Next time they stop, I'll get out, block them from driving further. Then it's all you," Ian suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Mickey agreed.

Right on cue, the car in front of them pulled up to a stop sign.

Ian swiftly got out of the car. He stood in front of his attackers, hindering them from their path.

Darrel was certain his eyes were playing tricks on him. The vampire he and his degenerate friends kidnapped was locked away in his garage, feasting on some Milkovich trash. He was just too drunk to know what's what, probably shouldn't be driving. He rubbed the palms of his hands on his eyes but the figure wouldn't go away. He squinted, that only worsened his confusion. The apparition sure looked liked the fanger they caught. And he was sure it was walking closer and closer towards them. "You guys see that?"

"See what?" Will asked.

Ian was gone.

Now, he _knew_ something was up. Darrel began to panic. "He was _right_ fucking there! I saw him!"

"Who?"

"That fanger we caught!"

"You mean him?" TJ asked, looking at the figure just beside Darrel's door.

Before Darrel could react, Ian had ripped the metal door off it's hinges, dragging Darrel out of the car by his shirt collar. The other two men tried to flee, only to be met with a trio of very angry Milkovich brothers. Both Iggy and Colin caught them, while Mickey helped knock them around, smashing his fists into their faces repeatedly. Darrel was still in Ian's grasp, squirming futilely.

When Mickey was done with the other two, he turned to Darrel. "My, my how the tables have turned." He paused, looking this creep right in the eye. "_Never_ steal from a Milkovich."

"Fuck you!" Darrel spat. He looked to Ian. "What kind of fanger are you? You were supposed to kill them!"

Ian glanced over to Mickey. They'd only met a few short hours ago and he was already helplessly in love with those blue eyes. "I couldn't…"

"What the fuck? Let me go, you dead fucker!"

"That thing you did to the other one, what was that?" Mickey asked Ian.

"It's called a glamour. Like, mind control."

"Can you do that again?"

"Yeah, sure. All three?"

Mickey nodded.

"Think you can hold him down while I do it?"

Mickey raised an eyebrow at Ian. He knew he wasn't tall, or that big, but he was a hell of a lot stronger than he looked. Without answering, Mickey landed a strong blow to Darrel's gut, knocking the wind out of him. Ian let him fall to the ground as Mickey unleashed a series of punches to Darrel's thick face. It wasn't until now that Ian noticed Mickey's knuckle tattoos. It amused him, smiling despite the violent scene before him. He cleared his throat to get Mickey's attention, realizing the human might be getting a little too zealous.

"Yeah, yeah, alright," is all Mickey said, holding Darrel up so Ian could do that Jedi mind trick of his.

When Ian finished giving more or less the same orders to Darrel as he gave Nick, Ian moved on to the other two men. It didn't take long. Darrel and his gang had minds that weren't exactly resistant to manipulation. All humans are susceptible to being glamoured, but some were easier to control than others.

The foursome watched the men who crossed them walk off into the night.

After they'd gone, Colin was the first to move. He popped open the trunk of Darrel's car and found the duffle bag of dope he and his brothers had intended to sell that night. "So, what do we do with this now?"

"What do you mean what do we do with it?" Mickey asked. "We fuckin' sell it."

It wasn't what Mickey had originally intended. This was supposed to be the last big deal he and his brothers made. Now they were just going to have to sell this themselves.

"This kind of illegal activity usual for you guys?" Ian inquired. He's a vampire, he knows things are rough all over, but it had been a while since he saw first hand how rough the life of humans can be.

"Gotta make a living, don't we?" Mickey asked matter-of-factly.

Ian shrugged. He supposed that was true. He'd also been a vampire for a while, which allowed him to acquire a fair amount of money. Ian wasn't a millionaire or anything like that, but he was very well off. It had made him forget just how difficult it used to be to make ends meet, back when he was human.

"Better get a move on," Iggy declared, shooting off a text to their sister. "Don't wanna stay here too long. Plus, Mandy's waiting up."

"Aw, shit!" Colin cursed. "I do _not_ wanna deal with her right now."

"Sucks to be you!" Iggy gibed as Colin gave him the finger and hauled the duffle bag out of the trunk. Instead of going back to the car they'd hot-wired, they got into Darrel's convertible.

Ian and Mickey were left awkwardly standing alone, nothing acting as a buffer now that the night's mission was completed.

"Uh… you wanna, um," Mickey began shyly. "We could give you a ride, if you want."

Ian couldn't stop himself from grinning at Mickey. Was this really the same guy who just beat the shit out of a group of thugs who stole drugs from him? Was this the same guy whose knuckles read 'FUCK U-UP'? Ian bit his bottom lip, loving every ounce of Mickey's bashfulness before answering. "Sure."

Mickey nodded in acknowledgement, walking towards the driver's seat only to find Iggy already sitting comfortably at the wheel. Iggy gave his younger brother a challenging look but Mickey didn't engage. The last thing he wanted was to make a scene and embarrass himself further in front of Ian. But that meant he had to sit in the backseat with the vampire. He huffed out a sigh and plopped down next to the redhead.

The car ride home was awkward as hell.

Tension filled the car, which was only amplified by how quite everyone was. Ian and Mickey didn't dare make conversation, uncertain of where things went from here. They'd met under such unconventional circumstances, they didn't know how to proceed. And Iggy and Colin, sensing their brother's and the vampire's uneasiness, were smart to keep quiet about it.

When they reached the Milkovich house, Mickey leapt out of the car before Iggy fully pulled up onto the curb. He stilled for a moment, appreciating the cool summer breeze on his skin. He had been burning up in the car thanks to that damn redheaded fanger. He released a staggered sigh and ran a hand over his face as his brothers and Ian got out of the car.

Iggy turned to his brother. "We should get rid of the car tomorrow, and pick up ours."

Mickey barely registered what Iggy said but nodded anyways. His brother was just about to bring up what Mickey had been avoiding the whole night when Mandy came storming from their house.

"You _literal_ pieces of shit!"

Hell hath no fury like a Milkovich woman scorned.

Ian noticed all three brothers took a step back, and he instinctively did the same. Mandy completely ignored the vampire for the moment though and went straight for her brothers. She threw her fists at their chests in frustration but not hard enough that it hurt them _too_ much.

"You have _any_ idea how scared I was when I realized how late it was and you assholes _still_ weren't home?!" She faced Mickey. "I thought you weren't gonna do any deals at night, assface?!"

Mickey was quick to point a finger at Colin. "It was all him, douchebag!"

"What the fuck, Mickey?" Colin whined before Mandy began hitting her brother on the arm, in the exact same spot over and over again.

"And you!" Mandy shrieked, turning to Ian.

Ian was watching the scene quietly until now. He quickly drew up his hands in surrender. "Are you gonna hit me too?"

"Who the fuck are you?"

"Ian. Gallagher. Vampire your brothers found."

"Oh, right," Mandy's voice softened a bit. _This vampire's pretty hot_, Mandy thought.

Ian steadily lowered his hands. He was certain if he made any sudden movements, Mandy would tear his head off.

"They didn't tell me you were so attractive." Mandy's brothers groaned before she continued. "Tell me, Ian, what's a girl gotta do to get asked out by a vampire?"

Ian chuckled. "Uh, find a vampire that isn't gay, maybe?" he offered.

Mandy caught the glance Ian shot at Mickey as he spoke. "Huh, that's too bad," she slowly turned to Mickey, "for _me_ anyways."

Mickey shook his head. He couldn't believe his sister's audacity right now, and Iggy hadn't been any better. He wondered how much longer it would be before Colin chipped in with his two-cents.

He exhaled deeply before speaking. "Are we going the fuck to bed? It's been a long night."

"Is that an invitation?"

Mickey snapped his head towards Ian. His siblings erupted in fits of giggles, but they were considerate enough to leave the two in private. They walked inside their house but Mickey was sure Mandy was watching from the window.

"Do I get an answer?" Ian asked after a brief silence.

"The answer is fuck off."

Ian simply shrugged, deciding to change the subject. "Thanks, by the way. You did kinda save me back there."

"Yeah… well, thanks for not draining us."

Ian took a careful step forward. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something more but no words came out. Ian knew he'd been a bit forward with Mickey, especially under the conditions with which they met. Maybe it was best he didn't push further. He sighed defeatedly. "Uh, well… I guess I'll see you around."

"Yeah, I guess."

Instead of speeding off like he did earlier, Ian slowly walked off in the direction of his house.

Mickey briefly watched Ian walking down the street before he headed inside.

* * *

**Notes:** Come say hello on tumblr: i-like-em-sweet


	3. Strangers

**Chapter 3: Strangers**

* * *

**Notes:** Title from Strangers by William Control  
_We fall, we fall in love with strangers killing time_  
_We fall, we fall in love with strangers in the night_

* * *

In the seventy-eight years Ian Gallagher has walked the earth, he's never been in love.

He thinks that's pretty sad. Not in a pitiful kind of way, but in a remorseful kind of way. What did it say about someone who'd been around for over three-quarters of a century and never experienced love? But then, he was never really given the opportunity, being turned at such a young age. Maybe it was a good thing, remembering his siblings lack of success with love. The lying and cheating boyfriends Fiona kept, the hearts and spirits of women Lip would so easily crush, the older men Debbie chased in an attempt to grow up too quickly, the junior criminals Carl lost himself in, and Liam who Ian never got to see grow up and find his own paramour. And then there was Frank and Monica, his parents. What a shit-show they were if he ever saw one.

So when he jerked off in his bed after waking up mid-morning to thoughts of a raven haired, blue eyed human, Ian decided whatever he was feeling - it was most certainly _not_ love.

He was just incredibly horny, that's it. It'd been a while since he had a good lay. Just one good fuck, that's all he needed.

Ian forced himself to push all thoughts of Mickey and the previous night out of his head, willing himself back to sleep for the rest of the day.

* * *

In the short nineteen years Mickey Milkovich has been alive, he's never been in love.

In fact, he's almost certain such a concept doesn't exist. Not the kind in the romance flicks Mandy likes to watch anyways. Maybe there isn't any other kind of love either. He's never known anyone in love. His parents sure as shit weren't. Mickey's mother passed when he was only ten but he'd been old enough to know there was no love between his parents, if his father's fits of drunken rage and his mother's quiet sobbing when she thought everyone was asleep were any indication. Colin and Iggy kept a close circle of girlfriends they sometimes shared, which Mickey thought was pretty gross to be quite honest, but he'd never known his brothers being in love with any of those girls. And Mandy never kept a steady boyfriend either. Maybe it was just his parents' hateful marriage that fucked them up in the love department.

So when he jerked off in the shower to thoughts of a specific redheaded, arrogant vampire, Mickey decided whatever he was feeling - it was most certainly _not_ love.

He was just incredibly horny, that's it. It'd been a while since he had a good lay. Just one good fuck, that's all he needed.

Mickey forced himself to push all thoughts of Ian and the previous night out of his head, willing himself out of the shower to face the day.

He was just finishing getting dressed when he heard one of his brothers calling for him.

"Get a move on, Mickey!" Iggy yelled through Mickey's bedroom door.

"Alright, jesus!" Mickey yelled back. He yanked the door open, glowering at Iggy for a brief moment before they joined their siblings in the kitchen.

Even after Terry left, the Milkovich siblings didn't eat meals together often. It was nothing personal, just that they didn't really have a routine for anything they did. So when someone was hungry, they made themselves a sandwich, poured themselves a bowl of cereal, ate the last packet of strawberry pop-tarts, didn't really bother to cook full meals for everyone. After last night though, a shared meal seemed like a good idea. Mandy had made eggs and sausage, nothing special, Colin helped though, that was different. None of them ever said it, but they really did like how close they'd all become following Terry's departure. And when something didn't go the way it was supposed to, like say a drug deal where your buyer tries to feed you to a ravenous vampire, they felt a strong need to stick close to each other for at least a little while.

They sat around their small table in the kitchen not really talking, just enjoying each other's company as they silently ate their breakfast. There was a small television set propped up on a stool in the corner of the kitchen. The volume had been lowered so it just became background noise but Mandy turned it up when she heard the word _vampire_. Vampires intrigued her. She wasn't naive enough to trust any of them, barely trusted humans, but she liked learning about them. _Ian seems good enough though_, she thinks. He aided her brothers after all, so she didn't feel guilty or uncomfortable coming on to him right off the bat. Though, it wasn't meant to be, Ian's into guys, can't do anything about that. And judging by the little glances he exchanged with Mickey, it seemed Ian had his sights set on a different Milkovich sibling.

Mandy focused her attention on the television where Steve Newlin, head of a vampire hating church, was arguing with Nan Flanagan, accusing vampires for his father's murder.

_"The vampires, as a group, have cheated death. And when death has no meaning, life has no meaning. And when life has no meaning, it is very, very easy to kill."_

_"Not true, Reverend Newlin. Life has great meaning for us. We've all known the joy of human life, and as several of your kind demonstrated in Louisiana three weeks ago, we most certainly can die. Your assertion is little more than veiled incitement for your supporters to come kill us."_

_"No amount of political grandstanding can hide the fact that you know who killed my family. Their blood is on your hands."_

_"That's an outrageous accusation."_

_"Can you back that up Reverend?"_ the news anchor asked.

_"My father's death was an assassination, pure and simple. A killing meticulously planned, ruthlessly executed. From there, all you have to ask is who stands the most to gain?"_

_"We're running out of time. Last words, Ms. Flanagan?"_

_"Clearly Reverend Newlin's grief over the loss of his father has unhindered him from some political grandstanding himself."_

_"It's a beautiful sunny morning in America, Ms. Flanagan. I wish you were here."_

_"Give me twelve hours, Reverend. I'll be right there."_

"I like her," Mandy states after the debate ended.

Mickey snorts in response as he finishes off his black coffee.

"So, Ian seems alright," Mandy begins, choosing her words carefully. "For a vampire."

"Probably never would have caught those guys last night if it weren't for him," Iggy points out.

"You think he can fly?" Colin asks abruptly.

"Oh my fucking god!" Mickey groans. "You're all just a bunch of wannabe fangbangers!" He hastily gets up from his seat and dumps his dirty dishes in the sink. "I'll be waiting in the car."

As Mickey leaves, Mandy turns to her other brothers. "So, you guys already placed bets on how long it's gonna take for them to bone?"

"Colin's got two weeks, I say one."

"Oh, please!" Mandy cackles. "You're both wrong. I give it five days - tops."

"You're on little sis," Colin says, he and Iggy rising to meet their brother outside.

As they reach the door, they hear Mickey honking the car horn at them.

"How is it that I was the last one to wake up and now _I'm_ the one waiting on you assholes?" Mickey asks as his brothers settle into the car, Iggy at his side and Colin in the back again.

"Just fucking drive," Iggy grumbles. "We wanna get there before anybody learns Darrel is missing and finds our car."

* * *

The Milkovich brothers arrived at the garage, left Darrel's convertible and retrieved their own car without any problems. It wasn't a complex endeavor, but something about the operation going so smoothly had Mickey feeling uneasy. He couldn't quite place it, but something was off, he felt it in his gut. Relenting, Mickey lit up a cigarette to calm his nerves. It wasn't that helpful, especially since he was driving past Ian's house at the moment. He stopped the car suddenly when he noticed a moving truck pulling into Ian's driveway.

"Hey, where you headed?" Iggy asks as Mickey parks in the middle of the street and gets out of the car.

"Doesn't take all three of us to take the car back. I'll catch up with you guys later. And start moving that dope."

Iggy pulls a face but moves to the driver's seat anyways, Colin taking Iggy's previous spot.

"Thinking maybe Mandy might be right. Knew I shouldn't have bet two weeks," Colin groused.

"Jesus, our lives must be pretty fucking boring if we have to bet on when our brother's gonna score," Iggy reflects as he drives off.

Mickey waits until his brothers are out of sight until he proceeds towards the man knocking on Ian's door. The guy is about three times the size of Mickey, but he has a soft face. Mickey can tell he's harmless, plus the man is in a mover's uniform, no doubt he's here delivering Ian's belongings.

"Hello? Anyone home?" The man asks through the door as he keeps knocking.

"Hey," Mickey calls to the man from the gate.

"Hey," the man greets, turning around and walking up to Mickey. "You live here?"

"Nah, but I know who does. Won't be able to reach him right now though."

"Oh, yeah, why's that?"

"Uh…" Mickey pauses. He knows not everyone has such an easy time wrapping their heads around the fact that vampires exist. And this guy seems ok, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. "He's just a heavy sleeper."

"Right…" The man narrows his eyes suspiciously. "Well, can you sign?"

"Oh! Uh, sure, um…" Mickey trails off, he doesn't see a name tag on the guy's uniform.

"It's Oscar."

"Oscar."

When Mickey hands the clipboard back, Oscar thinks to ask a curious question. "Hey," he begins cautiously. "He's not a vampire is he?"

Mickey shrugs. "Everybody's gotta live somewhere."

"Shit…" Oscar swears under his breath. "Look, you don't mind if the other movers and I just get this done as quickly as possible and hit the road, do you?"

Mickey doesn't bother telling Oscar that it's only two o'clock and that there'll still be light out for several hours. "Yeah, whatever."

"Thanks, man, really." Oscar hastily paces towards the moving crew. "Let's hurry it up, fellas. Fanger lives here."

Mickey rolls his eyes. It's not like vampires aren't dangerous or frightening, but so are humans. And he can't get over the fact that the sun is still out. Mickey doesn't see how anyone can be scared of something when there's no threat present.

The movers finish quickly, like they said they would, eager to get the hell out of there. Mickey helps them carry a few items, if only to speed up the process. And luckily, Ian doesn't seem to be in possession of much. A few furniture pieces, couch and coffee table for the living room, a small dining set for the kitchenette, and a few boxes that probably mostly hold clothes. He did have a rather large dresser and expansive bed. Mickey guessed Ian must have wanted those in one of the larger rooms upstairs, so that's where he tells the movers to place them.

Though, Mickey doesn't remember actually seeing Ian in any of the bedrooms, or anywhere else in the house. He knows Ian will be asleep during the day, but asleep where? Mickey is resting on the couch with a beer in his hand, which he was surprised Ian had in the fridge, when he realizes this. He rises from his seat and goes to investigate further upstairs. He checks the bedrooms - no Ian. He checks the bathroom, the closets - no Ian. He descends from the back stairs and finds another bathroom - still no Ian. _Where the fuck is this vampire_, Mickey wonders. He was going to check if there was a garage out back or something when his phone rings. It's Mandy.

"Hey, fuckface," she greets when Mickey answers. "What are you up to?"

"Went to get the car, you know that."

"Yeah, but that was this morning. What are you doing now?"

"What's it to you?" Mickey snaps. "Aren't you supposed to be working?"

"I'm on break, asshole."

"Well, douchebag, is there a reason you called other than to annoy the shit outta me?"

"Yeah, gotta work a later shift today. After dark, think you can swing by?"

Mickey has always been protective of Mandy, and it's not that he doesn't trust her to look after herself, she always carries a shiv and a baton, but since the vampires came out, he isn't taking any chances. It seems there is a body popping up every few weeks, drained dry. So far, the people being killed were the dregs of society so no one really made too much of a fuss out of it. Still, Mickey doesn't want any of his siblings going anywhere alone at night.

"Colin and Iggy have the car but sure."

"Kay, see you in a bit."

"Later," Mickey says and hangs up to meet his sister.

Mickey catches the L to head to the diner Mandy works at. The foreboding feeling in his gut has somewhat settled but it's still there. He chalks it up to the lingering nerves from the previous night.

Gazing out the window to the city and neighborhoods below him, he replays the events in his mind. The drive to the garage, the bright lights blinding his vision for a few seconds, learning they'd been duped, learning they were supposed to die that night. _Death isn't something to be taken lightly, Mick._ Ian's words reverberate through Mickey's skull. He closes his eyes and tries not to think of Ian. Tries not to think of his deep green eyes, his fiery red hair, the scattered freckles on his face, his smirking lips. He tries not to think of the fact that Ian's a vampire.

"Fuck," Mickey curses under his breath. He can't wait to get off the train, he really needs a cigarette.

* * *

When he reaches his stop, Mickey lights up promptly as he exits the train cart. The hit of nicotine doing very little to calm him down. By the time he reaches the diner, Mickey has smoked through two more cigarettes.

Mandy spots her brother immediately and actually smiles at him. A genuinely happy smile. Those were rare once. Mickey can't help but smile back as he takes a seat at the counter.

"Hey," Mandy greets. "You're just in time for dinner. What do you want?"

It was at this moment Mickey's stomach growled loud enough for his sister to hear.

"Jesus, have you not eaten anything yet?"

"Uh…" Had his last meal really been breakfast? "I was busy."

"Hanging out by yourself at Ian's all day?"

"How did you-"

"Iggy," Mandy cut off. "Called him after I talked to you, said you were over there."

Mickey huffs out a sigh, he made a mental note to get his brother back somehow. "Movers were looking for him, thought I'd sign for his stuff. No big deal."

"Ok," Mandy says simply in a not at all convincing tone. She places a plate of the day's special in front of Mickey, though it looks like a standard dish of spaghetti and meatballs with a side of garlic bread.

Mickey wonders if Ian has any aversion to garlic. Then Mickey frowns at his food, still cranky he can't get the damn vampire off his mind. He angrily and unattractively shoveles a forkful of spaghetti into his mouth. "When do you get off?"

"Nine. One of the other waitresses called in sick and there was no one else who could cover her shift."

"Alright, not like I had anything better to do tonight."

"Like waiting for Ian to get up?" Mandy smirks.

"What?" Mickey asks, furrowing his brow. "No, no I wasn't waiting for him." _Was I_, he wonders.

Mandy's smirk grows wider.

"I wasn't!"

"You could do a lot worse," Mandy says at length.

"We don't even know him."

"What I _know_ is that he helped you out when he didn't have to."

"I don't know, Mands. I don't know if I even really like him. _I_ don't know him."

"Yet, you subconsciously made the choice to wait for him at his place. That's gotta say something."

"He's a," Mickey begins, but looks around to make sure no one is listening in on their conversation. He then leans forward and whispers, "He's a vampire."

And then Mandy actually snorts and rolls her eyes at Mickey.

"Why are you acting like that's not a big deal, doucheface?"

"If he weren't, would this be any easier?"

Mickey pulls a face, pondering if it will be permanently stuck in a scowl. "Fuck, I don't know! I don't know anything!"

Mandy smiles apologetically at her brother and sighs. "I'll get you a beer."

Thankfully, Mandy drops the subject and she and Mickey spend the rest of her shift just shooting the shit, some lighthearted sibling banter thrown in. The hours always seem to go by a lot quicker when she has company. She's just finished serving her last patron and goes to change and clock out when she receives a call from Iggy. When Mandy answers her phone, it's clear there's something that has her brother quite distressed.

_"Mandy, are you alright?"_ Iggy asks in a panicked voice.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be? Are you ok?"

_"Fuck, I tried calling Mickey but he wasn't answering. I thought he was fucking dead!"_

"Iggy, what the fuck are you talking about? He's with me at the diner," Mandy informs, confusion and concern steadily rising. Mandy's eyes grow wide with shock. She understands the words Iggy speaks, yet she can't make sense of what he is saying.

_"Mandy, whatever you do, don't go over to Ian's. And make sure Mickey stays the hell away from him too!"_

Mandy nods but then remembers Iggy wouldn't be able to know that. "Y-yeah," she stammers. "Ok." She hangs up and takes a moment to compose herself before she goes out to meet Mickey.

Mickey is outside smoking a cigarette again and waiting on his sister. He hears the bell on the door chime and turns around, only to find Mandy visibly freaked the fuck out. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Mandy blinks once at her brother and answers. "Darrel and his gang are dead."

Mickey blanched. "What?"

"They were found back at the garage. They were killed."

"We were just there this morning! How is this possible?"

"They're dead, Mickey."

"How?"

"Far as the police can tell, it was a vampire. They all had marks on their necks and wrists, completely drained."

"Do you think-"

"I don't know, Mick," Mandy cut off.

"Shit…"

* * *

Ian wakes up at a later time than usual. This is uncommon for vampires, who routinely rise from their slumber as soon as the sun goes down. But Ian was dreaming. And dreaming is far more uncommon for vampires. The last time Ian dreamt was a few years after he'd been turned, and those dreams would be more accurately described as nightmares. This was anything but a nightmare, though it was grim. Despite successfully returning to sleep this morning, Ian dreamt of the events of the previous night. He dreamt of Mickey. And he supposes that he slept in tonight because his mind didn't want to stop dreaming of Mickey. Ian sighs forlornly and compels himself out of his bed. He does in fact sleep in a bed - not a coffin.

He ascends the stairs of the basement hazily. Suddenly, Ian remembers there were movers meant to come earlier and wonders if they'd been kind enough to drop off his belongings. He would have asked Mickey to sign for his things but often found himself losing his train of thought around the human, despite pulling off a debonair facade. He speeds into the living room and indeed finds several boxes containing his clothes and other personal effects. Ian wonders if the movers also delivered his spare bed and goes upstairs to inspect the bedrooms. He finds his bed and dresser neatly set up in what was once Fiona's old bedroom. Ian thinks this has been awfully nice of the movers. He had noticed his living room and kitchen were organized with the correct furniture as well, and wonders if someone other than the movers have been in his home that day.

Ian returns to the living room, surveying the space for any clues. It doesn't take long. He spots a phone on the couch. He picks it up and swipes his thumb across the screen to unlock it. It's Mickey's phone. Ian smiles dumbly for a moment but then notices several missed calls and texts from Iggy. His smile falters. He listens in on a few of the voicemails Iggy left and they all sound urgent and alarming but nothing in the voicemails informs Ian to what has Iggy so panicked. Ian looks through some of the texts, still he learns nothing. Has something happened to Mickey? He was here at some point during the day, otherwise his phone wouldn't be here, but where is he now? Has he been taken? By whom? Ian's mind races with a million and one questions and scenarios, each one worse than the last. He needs to find Mickey _now_.

He rushes to the Milkovich home. He is grateful for the short distance and his vampiric speed. Quickly, he climbs up the steps and knocks loudly on the door with his fist. But instead of seeing Mickey, he finds a different Milkovich brother answering the door.

"Iggy! Is Mickey-" Ian is abruptly cut off with a swift blow to his face, tattooed knuckles making hard contact with his nose.

"Stay the fuck away from my brother!" Iggy growls.

Caught off his guard, Ian stumbles backwards and falls down the front steps. He composes himself and rises to his feet instantly, his broken nose already healing itself. There is little damage a human can do to a vampire with just their bare hands. Ian notices Colin coming into view from the doorframe behind Iggy, a gun pointed in his direction. "What the fuck is going on? Why did you hit me?"

"Stay away from our brother, fanger!"

"Stay away from all of us," Colin adds.

Iggy cracks his knuckles, showing off similar tattoos to Mickey's.

Ian restrains from rolling his eyes at the lame attempt of bravado. "Where is Mickey?"

As if summoned, Mickey and Mandy hastily make their way towards the commotion taking place in front of their house.

Mandy hurries up the stairs and steals the gun from Colin's hands. "Would you two calm the fuck down! I told you Mickey was with me tonight!"

"C'mon, how are we supposed to defend ourselves!" Colin yells, trying for the gun only to have his hand smacked away.

"Wouldn't do much anyways," Ian scoffs.

"Silver bullets, asshole," Iggy clarifies.

"Ok, everybody chill the fuck out!" Mickey interrupts loudly. He turns to face Ian. "Me and you gotta talk."

"No, fuck that! Mickey, you can't-"

"I got this," Mickey interruptes Iggy, his voice stern.

Iggy roughly takes the gun from Mandy and hands it to Mickey. "Take it."

"Don't need it, man."

"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you," Iggy says as he shoves the gun at Mickey's chest.

Mickey takes the gun reluctantly, understanding nothing less will appease his brother. He tucks it into the waist of his jeans and motions for Ian to follow him. He leads Ian to the alleyway next to the house. He paces back and forth nervously a few times before finally facing Ian. Mickey is silent, unsure of how to begin. He bites his bottom lip anxiously.

"You gonna tell me what this is all about?" Ian asks.

Mickey decides it's best to just get it over with. "Darrel and his gang were killed tonight. Police are saying it was a vampire."

"And you think it was me?" Ian questions, clearly offended.

Mickey rubs a thumb on his chin apprehensively, trying to shake off his nerves. He looks away from Ian briefly and thinks he could really use a cigarette right about now. He wonders just how much his nicotine intake has increased since meeting the vampire. He makes a mental note to steal a pack from one of his siblings later. At length Mickey speaks, "No… but I think it's a pretty big fucking coincidence some _other_ fanger killed those guys after you helped us out."

"Well, your brothers sure seem to think it was me."

"You ain't exactly off the hook with Mandy either so don't get your hopes up."

Ian chuckles pathetically before speaking again. "I think you're right."

Mickey looks at Ian expectantly.

"I think whoever did this wanted you to think it was me."

"Don't suppose you got any ideas who?"

"Vampires live for hundreds of years. I haven't been around as long but still have countless enemies, could be anyone."

"Jesus…"

"Have there been other killings?"

"Yeah, but no one anybody knew or cared about."

"Maybe it's not the same vampire," Ian surmises.

"You sayin' there's _more_ than one fanger out here killing us off?"

"It's possible, yes."

"Fuck me, man."

Ian wants to make a joke there but doesn't need to when he notices Mickey's face flushes red with embarrassment, realizing what he's just said. He bites back his laughter with a sly grin and waits for Mickey to speak again.

"I just meant-"

"I know," Ian interrupts.

A brief silence passes between the vampire and human, tension quickly filling the atmosphere around them. It seems the air grows hotter and more humid. They ponder for a moment if this has anything to do with the summer season - probably not.

"I should get back before my brothers and Mandy think I became your dinner or some shit."

Ian laughs heartily. "Alright." He smiles and bites his bottom lip as he watches Mickey leave. "Oh, wait!" he calls out and catches Mickey by his wrist.

Mickey spins around, facing Ian.

"Your phone," Ian says, handing it to Mickey. "You left it at my place. Thanks for signing for my stuff by the way."

"Sure, no problem."

Ian's hands are cool against Mickey's skin, but where the vampire's fingers wrap around Mickey's wrist it feels like fire. Mickey realizes how close they're standing, and at this distance is able to make out the light freckles dusting Ian's face. _He has really green eyes too_, Mickey thinks. He then notices Ian's chest begin steadily rising and falling, and wonders what he looks like shirtless. Mickey begins breathing a little harder as well, as if he's attempting to stop the air from being sucked out of his lungs. Mickey tries to gulp down the nerves caught in his throat.

Ian glances down at Mickey's pink lips, waiting for a clear indication to proceed. Unfortunately, he does not receive one. He feels Mickey pulling his hand back lightly. Ian didn't realize he was still holding on to Mickey and immediately releases him. Embarrassed, Ian is quick to apologize but speaks at the same moment Mickey does.

"I'm sorry." "Gotta get back."

"Uh, I really should go," Mickey says sheepishly.

"Yeah." Ian watches Mickey leave again before he calls out to him once more. "Mickey."

"What is it now, Gallagher?"

Ian grins smugly. "I took the liberty of putting my number in your phone."

_Of course you did._

"I'll text you."

"Whatever," Mickey says, smiling despite his best efforts to be nonchalant. Finally, he turns on his heel and heads inside his house.

Ian stands in thought for a few moments after Mickey leaves, contemplating what his next move should be. He sighs and decides to call Svetlana. His phone rings a while, she's probably pissed at him. Eventually, she picks up on the sixth ring.

_"Look who finally calls,"_ Svetlana answers.

"Hey."

_"Do not 'hey' me. Do you know how rare is O negative human? And you ask for two."_

Different blood types have different healing abilities. O negative is one of the strongest, and comes in short supply, also making it very valuable.

"I'm sorry. It was an emergency. I could have died!" Ian exaggerates. He was hurt badly but not quite near death.

_"You are already dead!"_

"Minor technicality."

_"What is it you want? I know you have reason for calling, and is not to say thank you."_

Ian adopts his most placating tone to speak again. "Thank you, Svetlana, for saving my life."

_"You should be thanking Nika. If not for her, I let you meet true death long ago."_

"Now you're just being mean, you know you love me. But speaking of which, how is my sister?"

_"See, I knew you had, what is called? Ulterior motives…"_

"Call it whatever you want. Something bad's happened, or is happening, I don't know yet. Tell her I need to speak with her."

_"You can see her tonight. She will be here shortly."_

"I don't know if that's good or bad," Ian says more to himself than Svetlana. "Alright, where are you living now? I'll be right over."

* * *

Ian arrives promptly at Svetlana's apartment building and is buzzed up to her floor. The building looks a bit rundown from the outside, it has a few busted windows, but is a bit more welcoming inside. And Ian is glad that it is at least located on a safer part of town. When Ian reaches Svetlana's door, she's already waiting for him in the doorway. She stands between the threshold, giving the vampire a once over.

"You look good," she says, turning around and walking further into her apartment.

"Seriously?" Ian whines. "I haven't been here yet."

Svetlana knows very well that vampires cannot enter a person's home without being invited first, she's just making Ian suffer a little. She looks over her shoulder at Ian. "You may come in."

Ian briskly walks in. "Nika here yet?"

"_Hello Lana, how are you?_ Oh, I am fine, thank you for asking. _I am sorry for not taking you with me to California._ Is fine, I get over it." Svetlana is carrying on a conversation with herself, the kind where one pretends to be speaking with another person, and that person is responding exactly how you would want them to.

"I was hoping we could avoid that discussion."

Svetlana shakes her head disapprovingly at Ian. She hasn't seen him in eight years, not since she was seventeen. They were around the same age then, or looked like they were the same age anyway.

"You left me…"

"I couldn't take you with me. Besides, Nika looked after you. I'd say that turned out well for the both of you."

Svetlana crosses her arms angrily, remaining silent, and willing her heated tears to stay at bay.

"Don't do that, I hate it when you do that." Ian steadily walks forward so as to not spook his long lost friend. Slowly he brings his arms up, pulling Svetlana into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry."

Svetlana eases into Ian's arms and allows a few tears to fall, but she doesn't make a sound. Her lips slowly turn up into a smile as she feels Ian place a kiss on her forehead. "I am _not_ little girl _Ian_."

"That's what you always said." Ian responds, smiling back. "But I've lived a lifetime, you'll always be younger than me."

Svetlana chuckles and is about to reply when she notices another vampire she is quite attached to watching from the doorway. She smiles fondly at her girlfriend.

"Am I interrupting little reunion?" Nika asks playfully.

"You were spying!"

"I am not spy, I live here too."

"Nika!" Ian calls out, happy to see his vampire sister. He releases Svetlana and quickly encases Nika in his long arms.

"Long time no see, brother," she says, returning the hug. "What mess have you gotten yourself into this time?"

Ian parts from Nika and breathes a heavy sigh. He walks into their living room and takes a seat on the couch. Nika and Svetlana make room for themselves on the love seat, though there is plenty of room next to the redhead. Ian notes to tease them later but for now there are more pressing matters at hand. He tells them of the other night he returned to his old neighborhood, of being beaten and kidnapped, meeting the Milkoviches, but he says little of Mickey. He tells them of teaming up with the human family and going after the men who attacked him, then learning tonight those same men had been killed supposedly by vampire. And he tells them there have been other killings, possibly committed by a different vampire entirely. When Ian is finished with his account, Svetlana and Nika fall into a long, pensive silence.

"Well?" Ian presses. "How bad is it? What do you think?"

Nika speaks first. "I think you should have killed the ones you were trapped with."

"Nika!" Svetlana chastises.

"Would have been easier."

Ian rolls his eyes. "Ok, one, you don't mean that, not really. And two, it wasn't their fault."

Nika shakes her head in exasperation. "I do not know what this means, Ian. This is bad."

"What do you mean you don't know? You're more involved in the vampire world than _I'll_ ever be. What's the AVL been up to these days?"

Several decades before vampires came out, a group of vampires joined together in the hopes of one day making their presence known to the public. They made allies with vampires and humans alike with different skills and knowledge of various subjects, and with anyone who was willing to help. Nika was a member of this group. She had left her sadistic maker as soon as he released her. She believed that in helping this group and through mainstreaming, Nika might be able to right some of the wrongs she had committed, to do good. Unfortunately, she made the difficult choice to leave when she learned her maker turned another human - Ian. And when Ian left for California, Nika wanted to re-enter the group, though she found it had changed drastically.

"The AVL would not know anything about this. They are too busy talking politics to take heads out of own asses."

"Then what good are they if they're not gonna actually help people?"

"Sometimes I wonder. They do not care about humans like they want everyone to think. We will have to deal with this ourselves."

"Fucking fabulous!" Ian replies sarcastically.

"Maybe stop being hero and there will be no mess to clean up, huh?"

"He didn't deserve to die."

"He?" Svetlana asks suspiciously.

Ian blushes at his slip. "I meant they…"

"Of course this is about boy. Was he the one who call for you?"

Ian sighs. "His name's Mickey. And no, this isn't about him. Not entirely anyways."

Nika scoffs.

"Anyway," Ian begins, eager to change the subject. "I think you and the members of the oldest profession shouldn't work for a while, Lana."

"And how do we make money?"

"Nika and I both have more than enough to take care of you, all of you."

"No, I tell you before, I _work_ for my money."

"Now's not the time to be prideful."

"He is right, Svetlana," Nika adds. "You cannot work. At least, find other job, something safer."

Svetlana huffs in exasperation. "Fucking vampires…"

Ian and Nika stare at Svetlana expectantly.

"Fine," she concedes. "I tell others tomorrow."

* * *

Mickey is lying awake in his bed. Everything that has happened in the past two nights is keeping him up. He tries to rest his eyes but all he keeps seeing as soon as his eyelids close is Ian. Ian, Ian, _Ian_. That damn redheaded fanger. Despite all the grim events that have transpired, his thoughts keep returning to him. Each phenomenon he's witnessed, and even been a part of, has been a warning to stay away from the vampire, but he just can't help himself. _Christ_, he could kick himself right now. He's acting like a middle school girl with a crush, marking up her notebook with scattered little hearts. _A crush_, Mickey thinks. Does he have a crush on Ian? Crushes are cute and innocent. This feels… nauseating. It vexes Mickey further that he is unable to discern these new, complex, fucked up feelings he's experiencing.

He repositions himself on his bed, trying to relax. And then because he doesn't know what else to do, Mickey reaches for his phone. He swipes his thumb over the screen and checks his messages. There is nothing new. He searches for Ian's name in his contacts. Mickey stares at Ian's name on his phone, as if he's willing Ian to text him. He has convinced himself he only wants to hear from Ian to learn any recent information he might have gathered, no other reason. Mickey wrestles with his thoughts some more before shutting his phone off and tossing it somewhere else on his bed. He turns on his side, away from the direction he threw his phone in, and yanks the covers over his head. He remains in hiding for about forty-five seconds until he throws the covers back and retrieves his phone. He turns it back on and places it on the nightstand next to his bed. At some point during the night, Mickey is finally able to fall asleep.

Mickey's phone vibrates but he can't hear it, he's already out cold.

* * *

**Notes:** Mainstreaming: refers to a social movement within the vampire race, in which vampires attempt to integrate themselves into everyday human society.  
Reviews are much appreciated. Thank you! :)


	4. Let The Right One In

**Chapter 4: Let the Right One In**

* * *

**Notes:** Title taken from the vampire novel Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist.

* * *

The following morning, in the Milkovich home, was not as genial as the one before. Upon entering the kitchen, Mickey only found his sister present at the table. Iggy and Colin were on the couch but payed no attention to their younger brother. Mickey poured himself a cup of black coffee and a bowl of Cap'N Crunch and sat opposite of his sister. Mandy cleared her throat softly and motioned with her head at Mickey to talk to their other two siblings. Mickey shook his head and took a spoonful of cereal into his mouth. Mickey's recalcitrance earned him a swift kick to his knee under the table and a pointed look from Mandy. Mickey grunted and glared back at his sister. He downed the rest of his coffee and made a show of rubbing his knee until finally putting his dishes in the sink and walking towards his brothers in the living room.

"So, you guys sold any of that coke yet?" Mickey was beating around the bush.

"Actually, yeah. It's sellin' faster than we- ow, what the fuck, Iggy!" Colin was interrupted by Iggy's fist punching him in the shoulder.

Mickey and Iggy turned their attention from their brother to each other, both glowering in silence.

"C'mon, you guys…" Colin groused.

"Seriously," Mandy adds, coming from the kitchen. "Don't make me use my baton on either of you!" she warns.

Her brothers seemed to understand Mandy wasn't joking, so they dropped their scowls.

Iggy spoke first. "You still seeing him?"

Mickey scoffs. "I'm not _seeing_ him."

"Good."

"I'm not _not_ seeing him either though."

"Jesus Christ, Mickey," Iggy huffs as he stands up, taking a step forward. "You can't trust him, he's a fanger!"

"He didn't do it!"

"I don't care!" Iggy shouts. He pauses, and then continues in a softer tone. "I don't care that he didn't do it, Mickey. I'm just - I'm fuckin' worried about you alright."

"Cut the big brother bullshit, Iggy."

"No, that's just it! I am your big brother! And I've never acted like it." Iggy glances at Colin and Mandy, then back at Mickey and proceeds. "Look, I know you've always been the one in charge of shit, and I get why you had to do it. Terry always beat on you the worst, probably because you reminded him of Mom, Mandy looks like her, but you act like her more. And I never did anything to stop it. But Mickey, Terry's not here anymore, you don't have to keep proving yourself to anyone. You don't have to keep taking care of us."

Mickey was taken aback. He'd never heard Iggy, or any of his siblings, speak this way before. "Iggy, that wasn't your fault - I…" he trails off, at a loss for words.

"Just promise me you'll be smart about this," Iggy pleads. "Promise me you'll be careful."

Mickey nods. "Yeah, I promise."

Iggy breathes a sigh of relief and it seemed like most of the tension in the room lifted. A calm silence settled briefly before Iggy spoke again. "Me and Colin have some other customers to see. Meet you at the diner, later?"

"Sure, man."

"Great!" Mandy chimes in an over zealous tone. "Friday night's always chicken parmesan!"

"Aw, fuck, I _love_ chicken parmesan!" Colin beams.

"Yeah, they serve real Italian cuisine at that shitty diner," Mickey quips.

"Better than anything I've ever had."

"C'mon, fuckhead," Iggy says, pulling Colin up by his shirt sleeve and towards the front door. "Later, you two."

"That went a lot better than expected," Mandy states. "What are you doing today?"

"Got a text from Ian last night. Supposed to go see some friend of his, fill me in on what's going on."

"You just told Iggy you'd be smart about this, Mick. Who is this _friend_?"

"She's human, alright, like we are," he replies defensively. "How dangerous can she be?"

* * *

The first thing Mickey learned when he met Svetlana was that he should never underestimate her.

When she answered the door, Svetlana held a large butcher knife in her hand and wore a mean look on her face. "I am making stroganov. You help?" she asks kindly.

The differences in her demeanor and tone of voice unnerved Mickey a bit. "Uh, ok."

Svetlana led Mickey to the kitchen where she had been cutting and preparing the beef. "You make sauce."

Mickey obeyed silently. He couldn't really get a read on Svetlana, and found that odd. And it pissed him off. At length, he spoke, "So, we gonna cook all day or you got some info for me?"

"Have you fucked him, or should I say, has he fucked you?"

Mickey blanched. "What?"

"Ian. Have you and he…" Svetlana made a crude gesture with the forefinger of her right hand and the forefinger and thumb in the shape of a circle of her left hand.

"Oh my god! No!"

"Is too soon, maybe," Svetlana continues. "He did not say much about you, but he likes you, I can tell."

Mickey ears reddened. "That's not why I'm here."

Svetlana nodded, deciding she's embarrassed Mickey enough for now. They finished cooking the stroganov as Svetlana told Mickey what Ian and Nika spoke about the night before, which was basically that they have no idea what is going on. This frustrated the hell out of Mickey. Not only were all their lives in danger, but they also still had no leads.

"Why the fuck did Ian even tell me to come her today if no one knows anything?" Mickey groaned.

"Probably wants you to babysit me," Svetlana answers as she and Mickey sit down to eat their stroganov. "Or maybe, he wants _me_ to babysit _you_. Perhaps both."

"I can take care of myself!" Mickey says defensively.

Svetlana's mouth curled into a fond smile as if recalling a treasured memory. "That is what I used to say."

"You knew Ian? I mean, from before… uh, how long?"

"Thought you say you did not come here for him?"

"Whatever," Mickey replies curtly.

This time Svetlana smiles in amusement at Mickey. She could see now why Ian liked him. Svetlana and Mickey - they're kind of alike. They both have _don't fuck with me_ attitudes, they're both unafraid of confrontation, they're both defensive as all hell, and neither of them put up with anyone's bullshit. Additionally, Mickey's a guy. Ian could never feel for Svetlana what he feels for Mickey; conversely Svetlana could never feel for Ian what she feels for Nika, so naturally Ian and Svetlana developed a strong friendship instead. Svetlana is snapped out of her reverie when Mickey asks her what the fuck has her grinning so much. Instead of answering him, she decides to answer his previous question.

"I met him when I was fifteen."

"Hm?"

"When I first came to this country from Russia" she continues. "When my mother died, my father sent me here. Sold me to pimp for three hundred dollars."

"Jesus Christ!" Mickey swore. The way Svetlana was so casually discussing her grim past disturbed Mickey. "Your dad sold you into prostitution when you were fuckin' fifteen years old?!"

"Apparently he wanted money more than he wanted me."

"Jesus…" Mickey repeats.

Svetlana goes on. "I met Ian only first month I was here. I was very lucky. He took me and other girls away. He saved us, like some fucking hero."

"Why are you still hookin' then if he _saved_ you?"

"And who do you think would hire group of teenage girls who speak little English and have no IDs, no legal papers of any kind?"

"Alright, alright, I get your point. Ian has money though, and your girlfriend?"

"I do not want to burden them," Svetlana answers simply. "Would you let Ian support you that way?"

This earned Svetlana a scowl.

"Didn't think so."

No, Svetlana certainly isn't someone to be underestimated, Mickey thought again. She had experienced a lot in her short life, and despite it all, she was still here. Mickey thinks that's pretty admirable. He could see it in her face, the strength Svetlana possesses. Being forced to grow up too quickly, the years of enduring one tribulation after another, creating an impenetrable fortress around her emotions. He understands now why Ian likes her. Mickey and Svetlana - they're kind of alike. Mickey chuckles to himself and is broken from his thoughts when Svetlana scrunches her eyebrows at him, probably wondering what the hell is so funny. Though, Mickey doesn't answer.

"You're not _nearly_ as bad as I thought you'd be," he finally admits.

Svetlana gives a curt laugh. "You are definitely as bad as I thought you'd be."

"Fuck you," Mickey replies without much bite.

Mickey spends a significant amount of time at Svetlana's apartment after they finished eating. They don't talk much after their initial conversation, except for when Svetlana complains to Mickey that Ian and Nika want her to get a _real_ job until this whole vampire mess is sorted out, but they find they kind of don't mind each other's company. And Mickey's sure he prefers this over dealing. It's not the act itself he minds, just the dumbass customers he has to deal with, so he stays longer than he intended to. He mostly just idly watches television, switching back and forth between channels while Svetlana looks through the newspaper for work and calls the other sex workers about keeping it on the down low for a while. Around five Mickey announces he's leaving.

"You do not want to wait for Ian?" Svetlana asks, a sly grin playing on her mouth.

Admittedly, that's the reason he's leaving, but Mickey doesn't say as much. "No," he answers simply.

Svetlana looks unconvinced.

It's not that he doesn't want to see Ian, he just doesn't know how the hell to act around the vampire, and he'd rather not make an ass of himself in front of Svetlana.

"Can't, gotta meet my brothers and sister for dinner," he clarifies. That's not a lie, but when they eat dinner at the diner they usually meet at seven. So what if Mickey's a little early? With that, Mickey leaves Svetlana's apartment. "Later," he calls out over his shoulder.

Svetlana doesn't respond. She shakes her head amusingly as she watches him go.

* * *

Mickey tries to take the longest route he knows to the diner, forgoing the L and just taking bus after bus. He still arrives at the diner half an hour earlier than his brothers. Mickey spots his sister taking an order from some college kids in a booth.

"Hey, you still workin'?" Mickey asks, walking up and interrupting his sister. "Thought you were off earlier today."

Mandy finishes scribbling down the order before she acknowledges Mickey. "Kelly's still sick apparently," she answers as she wipes down and clears another booth for her brother. "Why are you so early?"

"Just… got bored hanging around Ian's friend, Svetlana."

Mandy gave her brother a knowing glance. "Ah, right."

Mickey rolls his eyes and sits at the booth.

"You gonna order anything or you gonna wait for Iggy and Colin?"

Mickey shrugs. "Guess I'll wait." He wasn't that hungry anyways. The stroganov he and Svetlana made was really good.

* * *

Iggy and Colin finally arrive a few minutes after seven. They find their brother easily and join him at the booth. Mandy has just finished her extra shift and brings them their food.

"Fuck, I'm beat," Mandy says tiredly as she dives into her food. "When the fuck do you guys start working?"

"Me and Iggy start at that construction job tomorrow," Colin answers.

"About fucking time. I can't be the only one with a steady paycheck." Mandy then turns to Mickey, who's sitting beside her. "What about you? It was _your_ idea to go legit."

"Relax, I got that job at that warehouse remember? Don't gotta start for a couple days."

"Jesus, look at us," Iggy says with a laugh. "Making an honest living."

"That's the point. We're respectable now," Mickey jokes, pretending to adjust a tie.

His brothers and sister laugh. And Mickey laughs. This feels good. This feels _happy_. Mickey can't remember the last time he felt this way. He wonders if he ever has.

"Oh, hey," Mandy says, snapping Mickey out of his thoughts. "I never asked you what Ian's friend had to say."

This shifts the mood slightly.

Iggy tenses as if he's about to go into big brother mode like he did this morning. He looks up at Mickey. "You saw Ian today?"

"No." _What's with people thinking vampires can walk around during the fuckin' day_, Mickey wonders. "How the fuck can vampires walk in sunlight? I just met up with some hooker friend of his, Svetlana. I left before he got up. I said I would be smart about it, and I was."

Iggy nods, satisfied with his brother's answer.

"So, what'd she say?" Colin prompts.

"Fuckin' nothin'. She and Ian and her vampire girlfriend don't have a fuckin' clue what's going on."

"Well, that can't be good," Mandy responds grimly.

The Milkovich siblings are interrupted by the bell on the front door sounding as it opens.

Ian walks in, he sees Mickey, and Mickey sees him. He glances at Mickey's siblings. Mandy looks a bit more welcoming than last night, he's unsure about Mickey's brothers though. He decides not to confront them and silently takes a seat at the counter. A waitress approaches him and asks for his order.

"Bottle of Tru Blood, if you have any," he says warily.

The waitress looks up from her notepad. "You mean, you're a…"

"A vampire," Ian finishes for her.

"Wow. I mean… wow," the waitress stumbles over herself. "Uh, my name's Sonia. Maybe after my shift we can go back to my place?"

Ian's used to this, girls practically throwing themselves at him for being what he is. If he were in Boys' Town, the guys would be just as bad. It's grown old and tiresome, but he's still nice about letting Sonia down. He smiles kindly at her and answers, "Sorry, you're not exactly my type."

"And what is your type?" Sonia asks playfully.

"Someone with a Y chromosome."

"Oh…" Sonia responds dryly. "Well, that sucks."

Ian chuckles. "I'm sorry."

"No, no, It's fine I guess," Sonia assures him. "I'll get you your bottle of Tru Blood. All we have is O positive, that alright with you?"

"Sure."

Sonia turns around to get Ian his drink, her brunette curls bouncing as she walks off.

Ian notices the Milkoviches still eyeing him from across the room and returns their stare. His gaze lands back on Mickey of course. He misses those precious blue orbs and wishes he could get a closer look at them. Ian looks away once more when Sonia returns with his bottle of synthetic blood, warmed up to a perfect ninety-eight point six degrees. He takes a sip and grimaces. It tastes like shit.

Back at the booth, Mickey can't seem to ignore Ian. He keeps looking back and forth between the vampire and his empty plate. Mandy and his brothers are staring too, their eyes shifting between Ian and Mickey. Mandy decides this is ridiculous and speaks up.

"Oh, jesus, just go over there already," she says to her brother.

"What for?"

"Just go, Mickey," Iggy interrupts.

Mickey looks at Iggy incredulously.

"Seriously, go."

"Alright, fine," Mickey concedes and turns to Mandy. "Let me out, douchebag."

Mandy sticks her tongue out at her brother but does as he asks.

Ian doesn't look over at Mickey when he notices the human walking towards him. He still doesn't look at him when Mickey takes the stool next to him.

Mickey pinches the bridge of his nose anxiously before addressing Ian. "Hey."

The corners of Ian's mouth turn up slightly. _Mickey's so bad at this_, he thinks. But he also thinks it's pretty cute. "Are you allowed to be here?"

Mickey clicks his tongue. "They're fine with it."

Now, Ian turns to Mickey. He gives him a doubtful look.

"Alright, they're not exactly on board or whatever. Mandy seems more ok with it though."

Ian nods and takes another sip of his drink.

"How'd you know I was here?" Mickey asks. "I didn't tell Svetlana what diner I'd be at."

Ian smiles a little sheepishly this time as Mickey clearly knows Ian was looking for him. "I took a guess," he says simply. Ian sees that Mickey isn't completely satisfied with that answer so he continues. "My family and I used to come here a lot when I was human. Fiona, my sister, oldest out of all of us, she worked here as a waitress. It was a cheesy little fifties joint back then. Checkered tiled floor, records on the walls, and a jukebox in the corner. It was real popular though. They had really good burgers, as best as I can remember what burgers taste like anyways. I just figured if you were at a diner, it'd be this one. From the looks of this place, it seems to still be doing pretty good."

Mickey watches Ian in silence for a moment. The nostalgia in his voice was beguiling. He could practically feel himself being transported back in time. He could see Mandy working here in a fifties diner uniform, a small paper cap on her head. He could see her having a huge crush on James Dean. Fuck, he could see himself having a huge crush on James Dean. He's sure Ian probably did too. Everyone loves James Dean.

He's remained silent for too long and finally answers Ian. "It's alright."

Ian smiles again. He brings the bottle of Tru Blood up to his lips and takes another drink.

Mickey catches the slight twitch in Ian's face when he sips his synthetic blood. "Does that not taste any good?"

"Fuck no."

"Then why are you drinking it?"

"I don't like to feed from humans unless it's been a while, or if I really need to."

"Like the other night?"

"Yeah," Ian answers. "Yeah, that definitely counts."

Another short silence passes over them before Ian continues. "So, how was Svetlana?"

Mickey snorts. "You got some fuckin' weird friends."

"Lana's just been around vampires a long time. First with me, then with Nika. Nika, she's my vampire sister."

"Vampire sister?" Mickey asks with a raised eyebrow.

"We weren't related or anything like that. We have the same maker," Ian clarifies. "She's a lot older than I am though."

"And how old are you?"

"Compared to most vampires, I'm actually still pretty young. Just seventy-eight, but I was human for the first eighteen years."

"You're almost eighty?" Mickey asks astonishingly.

Ian laughs nervously. "Yeah…"

"You should be like, grey-haired and wrinkled and shit."

"Are you complaining?" Ian asks cheekily.

Mickey doesn't answer, just bites his bottom lip as he looks Ian up and down. No, he's definitely not complaining.

Before they can continue to flirt, Mickey's siblings are approaching them. Iggy and Colin wait by the door while Mandy goes to fetch her brother. She taps him on the shoulder lightly.

"Sorry to interrupt," she says casually before turning to Ian. "Hey, Ian," she greets in an overly flirtatious tone as Mickey rolls his eyes.

It definitely seems like Mandy has changed her tune about her brother hanging out with a vampire.

"Mandy," Ian says, shining a megawatt smile. "You look pretty tonight."

Mickey resists from rolling his eyes again because he's sure if he does, they'll roll right out of his skull. _Are these two serious right now_, he thinks. Not that he doesn't think Mandy looks good, but she's his sister. He's obligated to think she looks beautiful no matter if she's wearing a cocktail dress, or pajamas, or skinny jeans and a t-shirt like she's sporting now.

"You're not so bad yourself."

"Ok, that's enough," Mickey interrupts. "We're going."

"Jealous, Mick?" Mandy inquires with a sly grin.

Mickey knows he has to put a stop to whatever's happening here. An alliance between Mandy and Ian? No way, no fucking way. It'll be his utter ruin. He rises from his seat and ushers Mandy to the door, giving Ian an apologetic look and awkward wave goodbye.

Ian watches them go with a comical grin. He forces himself to finish the Tru Blood he ordered before calling it an early evening.

* * *

The following night, Ian and Mickey hang out at the diner again while Mickey waits for Mandy to finish another late shift. The mood is lighter, conversation comes more easily and they're laughing at each other's lame jokes and stories. Mickey's telling Ian of the time some jackass store clerk shot him in the knee over a fucking Snickers bar. Apparently the guy had enough of Mickey's thievery and pulled a gun on him. The cops eventually showed up and hauled his ass off to juvie after his knee was fixed up at the hospital. He tells Ian about how he came _this_ close to stabbing one of the guys in juvie who kept trying to steal his jello.

"And some snooty housewives paid that clerk a visit and actually offered to throw him a fuckin' parade."

Ian's roaring with laughter, and even throws his head back at Mickey's story. His laugh is contagious, and soon Mickey is laughing right along with the ginger vampire.

Ian and Mandy hit it off pretty well too, just like Mickey thought they would. The duo constantly gain up on him through out the night. Mickey's heard bad things come in threes, but he's certain it's twos. Mandy tells Ian about the nail polish incident. Mickey flicks his drink at her with a straw to make her go away. Before she does, she flips him off. Ian chuckles at the way Mickey and Mandy interact. He remembers his own brothers and sisters, and his smile wavers.

"Hey, you alright?" Mickey asks when he sees Ian isn't smiling anymore.

"Yeah," Ian reassures. "I was just thinking about my own siblings."

"You miss them?"

"More than anything."

Mickey furrows his brows a bit. Ian hasn't said much about his siblings but when he does he talks about them as if they're dead. Mickey supposes that's not such a stretch. Ian himself is much older than he looks. But Mickey sees a pang in Ian's face too. Whatever happened to Ian's family, they didn't just die of old age. There's a dark, harrowing story hidden behind Ian's emerald eyes. Mickey doesn't press him for information though. He's a bit put off by how quickly Ian recovers, concealing his sadness with a bright smile.

"You and Mandy seem pretty close," Ian mentions.

"Yeah," Mickey answers. "We all are."

"That's good."

* * *

The night after that, Mickey's on his way to the diner. The vampire, or vampires, who killed Darrel and his crew still at large. But since then, there haven't been any other killings. Ian offers that maybe it really was just a coincidence. Maybe they were all just jumping to conclusions and nothing more. Mickey hopes as much. He's dragged out of his thoughts when his phone rings.

"Hey," he answers Mandy. "I'm just on my way."

"Actually, you don't have to come by tonight," she informs. "Iggy and Colin stopped by after work. I'll go home with them."

"Alright. How was their second day?"

"They're tired as hell but they'll survive." Mandy pauses briefly before continuing. "You know, since you have the night off from myself maybe you could see what Ian's up to. Maybe even spend some time together - _alone_."

"Why don't you just come out and say I should fuck him?"

"Ok, you should fuck him."

"Goodbye, douchebag," Mickey replies curtly as he hangs up before Mandy can say anything further.

Mickey stops in his tracks and thinks for a moment. He shoots off a text to Ian and starts in a different direction.

* * *

Ian wakes up to a text from Mickey, and smiles.

_"meet me at the alibi"_

Ian doesn't know why, but he takes a while to get dressed. Should he wear lighter jeans with a t-shirt, or skinny jeans with a tight fitting shirt, or dark jeans with a button up? He decides his first choice is too informal, and that anything with his skinny jeans or a tight shirt is too obvious, and anything with a buttoned shirt is too dressy. He ends up wearing a pair of dark jeans, a grey shirt with a black and white plaid one over it, and casual shoes. Ian makes sure his hair is perfect, slicking it back with just the right amount of product. He doesn't know why he's making such a big deal out of this. It's not like this is a date or anything. Actually, Ian hopes that's exactly what this is.

As soon as he's ready, he's out the door. He speeds towards the Alibi but then realizes he might seem too eager if he shows up within minutes of receiving Mickey's text, so he walks back and forth on the street across from the bar for a while longer. When he thinks enough time has passed, Ian walks into the bar.

Mickey is sitting in one of the booths towards the back. The beer he ordered is already half finished and he's on his third cigarette. He's anxious as hell. Immediately after texting Ian, he realized he kind of just asked the vampire out on a date. And it's not like he could cancel his last minute plans anyway. That'd be like rejecting Ian, and he didn't want to do that. So, Mickey forces himself to go through with the impromptu affair. It doesn't take much effort though. He is fairly excited if he's quite honest with himself.

When Ian and Mickey meet each other's gaze, it's like the whole world falls away, leaving only the two of them. There's a gravitational field around Mickey and it's pulling Ian in. Ian doesn't dare fight it. He gives in happily and struts over to the booth Mickey is seated at and sits opposite of the human. He sees Mickey has ordered him a bottle of Tru Blood. Ian takes it courteously.

"I know you don't like it, I was just… trying to be nice I guess," Mickey says. "You don't have to drink it if you don't want to."

"No, it's ok. I haven't fed yet. Thanks." Ian feels obligated to drink it, but he is hungry as well, so he accepts the synthetic beverage. As he brings the bottle up to his lips, his eyes zero in on Mickey's throat, a thick muscle throbbing as Mickey sips his own drink. Ian wonders what Mickey's blood tastes like, and the thought immediately goes straight to his dick, making him half hard. He can feel the tips of his fangs protruding but manages to keep them retracted.

Mickey is unaware of the silence that's fallen over him and Ian. He's unaware of Ian's studious gaze because Mickey's too caught up in his own scrutinization. _Fuck, Ian looks good_, he thinks. It's clear Ian considers whatever this is to be a date based on the effort he put into his appearance tonight. Now Mickey's thinking he should've gone home and changed first. Not that he thinks he looks bad, and not because he wants to impress Ian or anything. Mickey can feel the tightness in his jeans steadily growing the longer he stares at the vampire.

"So, why'd you wanna meet here?" Ian asks, breaking them out of their silence.

"Mandy's with my brothers, and I, uh…" Mickey struggles to come up with an answer. "I just didn't wanna go home yet."

"Oh."

"This isn't a date."

Ian's face splits into the smuggest grin Mickey has ever seen. "Alright."

"It's not!"

"I said alright."

"Yeah, but you don't believe that," Mickey points out. Mickey's not sure he does either.

"Does it matter?" Ian counters. "We're both still here, why not enjoy our time?"

"Whatever," Mickey replies passively.

Ian thinks for a moment, contemplating just how far Mickey wants this to go. He decides to take his chances. "In fact, we could enjoy our time elsewhere."

Mickey's heart beats faster and his mouth goes dry. He downs the last of his beer, eyes never leaving Ian.

"Wanna come back to my place?"

Mickey sets down his empty glass with a _clink_ before answering.

"Ok."

* * *

**Notes:** Aaaand that's where I'm ending it because I am pure evil. *cackles*


	5. If Love Exists, I Will Fall

**Chapter 5: If Love Exists, I Will Fall**

* * *

**Notes:** Title from the song Moment by Aiden  
_Visit me in hell tonight and say_  
_If love exists, I will fall_

* * *

"You want a beer?" Ian asks when he and Mickey arrive at the vampire's home.

"Yeah," Mickey answers quickly. There's no way he's drunk enough for this right now, and he knows a second beer won't be enough to get him there but he figures it's better than nothing at all.

As Ian goes into the kitchen, Mickey takes in his surroundings. There's more furniture and pictures and tchotchkes about. He presumes Ian must have had more of his things brought here from wherever he moved because none of this stuff looks new. Mickey walks over to the mantelpiece above the fireplace where various photos are displayed.

Ian comes back with a beer in hand and passes it to Mickey.

"Thanks," Mickey says sand takes a sip. "Why do you have beer anyways?"

"For company, duh."

Mickey rolls his eyes.

"Though, the only people who've been here so far are a bunch of movers, and you and your brothers. Lana and Nika haven't even been here yet."

Mickey nods in acknowledgement before speaking again. "Are these…"

"My brothers and sisters," Ian says, looking to where Mickey points with the beer bottle. He takes the center photo into his hands, it's one of the few pictures he has where they're all together, and points each of his siblings out to Mickey. "That's Fiona, the oldest, and more like a mother than a sister. No one ever took better care of us than she did. That's my older brother Lip. For someone so smart, he was dumb as shit sometimes. And my younger siblings, Debbie and Carl. Debbie and I were in the middle, and the only ones who looked related. Debbie was really entrepreneurial, she ran a daycare for the neighborhood kids every summer. Carl liked to blow shit up, and I'm sure he would've become a stunt man or something. He and Lip would get together sometimes and design all this weird mechanical shit just so they could destroy it in the end. And baby Liam. Now, I know what you're thinking, and no, he's not a half-sibling. Turns out, _I_ was the illegitimate lovechild in the family. Monica, our mother, had an affair with one of Frank's brothers. Frank was a shit anyways, and for all his money, Clayton didn't amount to much either. And Monica, well she was never really around."

Mickey doesn't know how to process all the information he's just been given. He tries to remain silent but eventually erupts in laughter.

"What?" Ian exclaims.

"Jesus, I thought _my_ family was a nightmare."

"My family wasn't a nightmare!"

Mickey raises a speculative eyebrow at Ian.

"Ok, maybe my parents were. And well, my siblings and I weren't the fuckin' Brady Bunch or anything but…" Ian trails off. "Shit, I guess we really were a nightmare sometimes," he concedes with a laugh. "They were great though. What about _you_? You're family's not picture perfect."

"Fuck, it sure feels that way sometimes. You weren't around when Terry beat the shit out of us just for breathing wrong."

"That bad, huh?"

"Doesn't matter. He fucked off when I came out. Mandy pulled a gun on him, turns out there weren't even any bullets in it."

"Your sister continues to scare the shit out of me," Ian admits. "What about your mom?"

"She died when I was ten. They said it was an overdose, but she never did any drugs. I don't know, sometimes I don't wanna believe she killed herself. She wasn't like that."

"What was she like?"

"Kind of like your sister Fiona, I guess. She always did the best she could."

A heavy silence falls over the vampire and human, both wondering what's got them so chatty about their fucked up pasts.

"Uh, so do you wanna watch something?" Ian asks abruptly. "Still early."

"What do you got?" Mickey replies, taking another swig of his beer and sitting on the couch.

"_Rebel Without A Cause_ ok with you?" Ian asks as he goes through his DVDs.

Well, that confirms Mickey's suspicion about Ian's crush on James Dean. "You like James Dean?"

"Doesn't everyone?" Ian replies playfully as he pops the dvd in and takes a seat next to Mickey.

* * *

They watch most of the movie without saying a word. They're content with just being in each other's presence.

Towards the end though, both Ian and Mickey start fidgeting a bit in their seats. Ian peeks at Mickey through his peripheral vision, and Mickey glances at Ian when he thinks the vampire isn't looking.

Finally, Ian turns to face Mickey before he speaks. "Mickey…"

"Hm?"

"I really like you," Ian blurts out.

Mickey's eyes snap towards Ian.

"I know the way we met was really fucked up. And I'm not even gonna _begin_ to go into how so many vampire-human relationships never work out, but I like you. And I _think_ you like me, otherwise you wouldn't be here…"

Ian's rambling now. Mickey let's him, he kind of likes it. He wonders how he's going to get this vampire to shut the hell up. And actually, Mickey knows exactly how. He's not fond of kissing, but it's all he can think of doing right now. It's all he _wants_ to do. So without warning, Mickey surges forward and presses his lips to Ian.

Ian's eyes go wide. Neither of them close their eyes, both surprised, and maybe even a little bit shocked, that this is even really happening. Then Mickey pulls back, only a few centimeters from the vampire.

"You really need to shut up and get on me."

Mickey's husky voice makes Ian go hard almost instantly. _Of course Mickey's a bottom_, he thinks. Ian doesn't respond, only crashes their lips together again. Before he knows it, the movie ends and he and Mickey are making out on the couch like a couple of high school kids. He feels Mickey tugging at his clothes and removes his shirts immediately as Mickey does the same. Ian catches Mickey's mouth again and leans forward until Mickey is on his back with Ian on top of him.

Mickey isn't sure what's going on. He hates kissing, or he thought he did anyway. But he's letting Ian's tongue inside his mouth, and he _likes_ it. He wants more, he _needs_ more. He darts out his own tongue, desperately trying to taste as much of Ian as he can. The vampire moves on to kissing along Mickey's jaw and neck. He slowly licks a wet trail up Mickey's neck muscle while grinding his pelvis down. Mickey shudders and allows a low moan to escape his parted lips.

"Upstairs…" Mickey breathes out shakily.

Ian is off him at once and dragging Mickey up the stairs. Once they make it to the main bedroom, they discard themselves of the rest of their clothing as quickly as possible. It doesn't escape Mickey that Ian's dick is bigger than he'd thought it'd be, and it's too difficult not to stare.

"Fuck…"

Ian flashes that devilish grin of his before he's swiftly hovering over Mickey again. Mickey can tell Ian likes to use his vampiric speed in bed, and he wonders what that'll feel like once the vampire is inside him. Ian kisses Mickey again, almost chastely, before he begins kissing down Mickey's torso. Mickey's already a mess. If Ian can get him going this much this quickly, he's not sure how long he'll last. Mickey doesn't dwell on the thought though, because he can't, because Ian is dragging his tongue along the underside of Mickey's dick, and Mickey thinks it's a miracle he didn't come from that alone. And then Ian's mouth is firmly wrapped around him, taking him as deep as he can. He throws his head back against the bed and grasps at Ian's fiery red hair, his dull nails scraping the vampire's scalp a bit.

"Stop teasing me, fuck," Mickey complains. Not that he doesn't like how attentive Ian is, but if the term _power bottom_ were in the dictionary there'd be a picture of Mickey Milkovich next to it.

"So bossy," Ian says, releasing Mickey's dick with a smack of his lips. "Turn over."

Mickey does, and Ian coats a few fingers with his own saliva and slips one into Mickey. Ian slides it in and out a few times before he adds another finger. When Mickey starts to thrust backwards, Ian adds a third, stretching Mickey out real good.

"Ah, fuck. What did I just say, Gallagher?"

Ian laughs, and promptly removes his fingers from Mickey's ass. He's about to press into the human when Mickey stops him.

"Hey, wait, hold up," Mickey says over his shoulder.

"Fuck," Ian huffs. "What? You're the one being pushy."

"Don't you have any… uh, I mean, aren't you gonna wear a condom?" Mickey asks awkwardly.

Ian furrows his brow. "Oh…"

"What?" Mickey asks as he turns around and sits in front of Ian, some of the magic in the moment lost.

"I just hadn't thought about it."

"Why the hell not?"

"I'm a vampire, you're a human. Vampires can't catch or pass anything to each other, and well, you can't pass anything to me other than Hep D," Ian clarifies. "_Do_ you have Hep D?"

"Fuck no, I don't have Hep D or whatever the fuck that is!"

"But you still want me to wear one?"

"Well, yeah."

"Alright," Ian answers simply. "You better fucking have one though because I don't, and I am not letting you leave here tonight until I fuck you."

Ian's candid response has Mickey hard again. "Wallet in my jeans," he answers. "Surprised you gave in so easily."

Ian is quick to retrieve the condom. "I'm not gonna make do anything you don't want to, Mickey."

Mickey smiles despite his best efforts not to and even chuckles. "Fuckin' boy scout."

"What, have guys actually passed up having sex with you just because they didn't wanna wear a rubber?"

"A few have, yeah."

Ian takes out a bottle of lube from a dresser drawer and is swiftly back on top of Mickey. He rolls the condom on and slicks himself up.

"Well, that's their loss, isn't it?"

Mickey thinks he should tell Ian he doesn't fuck face to face, but then he feels Ian pressing inside him and all his protests vanish. Ian's fangs finally extract when he bottoms out. He's been willing them to stay hidden until now, a painful task, but he didn't want to frighten Mickey. They don't scare Mickey, though he does look a little surprised. He'd almost forgotten Ian is a vampire for a minute there.

"Sorry," Ian apologizes. "They do that when, y'know… I can't control it much."

Mickey nods. He reaches up to Ian's mouth curiously and rubs a thumb over one of Ian's fangs. He cradles Ian's chin for a moment before moving his hand to the back of Ian's neck and pulls him down into a rough kiss, his teeth bumping into Ian's extended canines. He withdraws his mouth from Ian's and tightens his legs around the vampire's waist.

"Move, _now_."

Ian doesn't need to be told twice. He pulls out of Mickey slowly and slams back into him a few times, then begins a steady pace. He nips along Mickey's throat and collarbone, careful not to break skin. Mickey clutches onto Ian's back. He can feel Ian's taut muscles beneath his fingers. He tries to make as little sound as possible, but the harder he tries to hold back his cries, the harder Ian tries to elicit them. It's as if every gasp and moan motivates Ian further. It's as if Ian has known Mickey's body all his life, touching him, kissing him, fucking him exactly how Mickey likes it. And it's driving Mickey _wild_. His head is thrown back and his eyes are shut unbearably tight, tears just begging to fall because Ian's dick is doing things to him he never knew existed.

Mickey feels Ian pull away, propping himself up with his hands on either side of Mickey. And then Mickey remembers why he never fucks face to face. When he opens his eyes, Ian is looking down at him. Their gaze locks, and something inside Mickey falls to pieces. There's a burning in his chest and his stomach is in knots, and if he doesn't come soon he's certain he'll just about die. Mickey reaches down to pump his cock, aching for release. Ian sits up on his shins, and Mickey instinctively wraps an arm around Ian's neck as he's dragged onto Ian's lap. Ian fucks up into Mickey, meeting each of his thrusts and hitting his prostate with expert precision.

"Ah, fuck, Mickey… you feel so good," he whispers into Mickey's ear. Ian latches onto Mickey's neck again.

"Do it," Mickey gasps.

Ian pulls away immediately to look at Mickey. "What?"

"Do it," Mickey repeats. "Bite me."

Ian shakes his head. "No, I don't wanna hurt you."

"Please, Ian…"

And the way Ian's name falls from Mickey's lips coupled with Mickey's begging compels Ian to yield. He licks at the curve of Mickey's neck, locating a vein. Ian opens his mouth and sinks his fangs into Mickey as gently as he can. As soon as Ian's fangs pierce his flesh, Mickey comes hard in his hand. He moans loudly through the blend of pain and pleasure. Ian is on top of him again. He throws one of Mickey's legs over his shoulder, chasing his own orgasm while still attached to Mickey's neck. In a matter of seconds, Ian reaches his climax and frees Mickey's neck to groan through out his own release. Ian lets Mickey's leg fall back down, but he doesn't pull out yet.

Two rivulets of blood are running along Mickey's neck and Ian is nice enough to clean them off with his tongue. Ian withdraws when he's finished, and Mickey meets his eyes once more. There's blood trickling down the right corner of Ian's mouth but Mickey finds he doesn't give a shit. He brings the vampire down into a passionate kiss, tasting the iron on Ian's lips. Ian finally pulls out, slowly, and Mickey practically whimpers at the emptiness. Ian flops down on his back beside Mickey, tossing the condom into the trash and handing Mickey some tissue paper to clean his hand off.

A few silent moments pass, both their breathing steadily returning to normal. Mickey is the first to speak.

"What the _fuck_ was that?"

Ian huffs out a laugh. "I believe that was sex, Mickey."

"No, I've had sex before. That wasn't sex, that was a goddamn fucking _religious experience!_"

Ian's face splits into a wide grin before he erupts in a fit of laughter.

"Why are you laughing at me, jackass?"

"I'm not - I'm not laughing at you," Ian manages to get out. "I… I just think you're cute is all."

"Fuck you, I'm not cute."

"You're fucking adorable actually."

Mickey playfully shoves at Ian's shoulder before he rolls over on his side to get out of the bed, but then realizes he's way too fucked out for such a feat. He rolls onto his back again and sighs contently in his afterglow. Ian turns to face Mickey and props himself up on an elbow.

"You can stay if you want," he offers as if he can read Mickey's thoughts.

"Alright," Mickey grumbles.

"I can't though."

Mickey raises an eyebrow in question.

"I don't sleep here, I sleep in the basement."

"Was wondering where you were during the day."

"Yeah, underground just feels… I don't know. I wouldn't mind being up here if there was, like UV protection on the windows or something."

Now it's Mickey's turn to laugh. "I get it, it's fine."

"I'll stay with you though, until you fall asleep."

"Such a fuckin' boy scout…" Mickey says softly as he closes his eyes.

Ian smiles and lays back down closer to Mickey. He intertwines a leg between Mickey's and slings his arm over Mickey's chest.

_Of course he likes to fuckin' cuddle_, Mickey thinks. But he's too tired to care, and Ian's cool skin feels pretty good against his.

"Feel free to take a shower in the morning," Ian murmurs.

Mickey only grunts in response.

"Mickey…"

"What?"

"Night."

Mickey doesn't respond, only strokes Ian's hair until he feels himself falling asleep.

* * *

When Mickey wakes up, he forgets where he is for a moment. He sits up abruptly, looking around the room he's in and then remembers he got the dicking of a lifetime last night, courtesy of a vampire by the name of Ian Gallagher. He remembers the way Ian looked at him, through his hooded eyes, dark and lustful yet tender and affectionate. He's never seen that expression on anyone before. The memory is enough to make him half hard again. And Mickey remembers he not only let Ian bite him, he actually asked, _pleaded_, for it. He reaches up to the left side of his neck with his opposite hand and can feel two fresh wounds there. Then he remembers the sheets he slept in are fucking filthy and he should really take a shower.

Without bothering to put on his boxers, he heads to the bathroom. He catches his reflection in the mirror and can see a bit of dried blood on his neck and mouth. He scratches at it. He thinks it should maybe gross him out, but it doesn't. Mickey thinks that's weird.

Mickey turns the shower on and waits for the water to get warm before stepping in. He stands still briefly, letting the water run on his pale skin. He's never spent the night with someone before, and he's certainly never let anyone spend the night with him. And ok, Ian left for the basement so it's not like they _really_ spent the night together. Still, Mickey is a bit disconcerted by how easily he crumbled last night. _Maybe Ian's dick is just that good_, he thinks. And it really is, but more than Ian's dick, and more than his bite, Mickey can't stop thinking about the way Ian looked at him, how Ian's always looking at him. And now Mickey's getting that same burning feeling in his chest again.

He decides he's clean enough and gets out of the shower, reaching for one of the towels hung on the door and wrapping it around his waist. He returns to the bedroom and realizes he doesn't have any clean clothes to wear - just one of the reasons he's been against staying over someone else's place until now. Whatever, he needs something to wear so he opens a dresser drawer. He finds a folded piece of paper.

_Wear the blue shirt._  
_\- Ian_

_Fucking arrogant vampire_, Mickey thinks. And because Mickey's stubborn as hell, he tries on a grey shirt, then a red one. They're both too big, and he realizes that the only thing Ian has in this dresser that will fit him is the fucking blue shirt. He tries it on, and of course it fits him perfectly. It's dark, but kind of faded, it's probably an older shirt. He doesn't like that it still has sleeves. Then Mickey realizes he needs a clean pair of boxers but there's no way he's going to borrow underwear from Ian too, so he decides to go commando.

Mickey reaches into his pocket for his phone. There's a few missed texts and calls from his siblings. They're mostly from Mandy, asking if he got lucky with the vampire. There's a couple from his brothers, asking if he's ok. And now Mickey feels crappy for making them worry. He forwards a text to all three of them letting them know he's fine. He doesn't answer Mandy's questions about getting lucky. Then Mickey notices the time.

_8:30 am_

His shift at the warehouse starts at nine. He's going to be late for his first day of work. _Fuck_.

He doesn't want to leave a bunch of dirty sheets on Ian's bed though, so he's quick to throw them in the washing machine. They'll remain there for the day but at least they'll be clean. Once he's done that, he heads out the door.

* * *

Mickey grabs a cup of coffee on the way to work. Not one from the diner Mandy works at, he's avoiding his siblings as much as possible for the day. He finishes it as soon as he gets to his job.

He walks into the warehouse from the side entrance and finds his boss. Jorge is big and fat and mean. He sporting a dark tan from working in the summer sun, and his face always looks like he's pissed off. He kind of reminds Mickey of Terry. So when Mickey was able to land this job, he was pretty surprised, and thankful. And he did _not_ want to get on Jorge's bad side on his first day.

"Cuttin' it pretty close, Milkovich," Jorge greets gruffly.

"I'm still on time," Mickey points out.

"Barely." Jorge's eyes center on Mickey's neck.

Mickey immediately goes red with embarrassment when he realizes where Jorge's looking. He's pretty sure Jorge knows he's gay, not that Mickey ever told him, but no one really keeps their mouth shut in the south side. However, Mickey has no idea how Jorge feels about vampires, and when he applied for this job, it never occurred to Mickey he should care how anyone felt about them.

Jorge doesn't say anything though. He shows Mickey where he can leave his things, though Mickey didn't bring anything with him except his wallet and phone, and he's not gonna leave either of those things in a flimsy ass locker with a shitty lock. Then Jorge tosses a uniform shirt at Mickey to wear over his own. It's also blue but it's a bit lighter, and it has a collar. Mickey turns it up to hide the marks on his neck.

Then Mickey gets to work. Trucks come and go with boxes upon boxes of items that are probably not as interesting as most people think. There's a lot of loading and unloading, packing and unpacking, and storing, and moving. It's hard, laborious work but Mickey's pretty good at it, and he needs to be since the job pays well too.

At the end of the day, Mickey is feeling tired, but good. Things went well his first day despite almost being late. He hopes he's proven himself to Jorge. Mickey goes to clock out when Jorge approaches him and hands him a check.

"What's this?" Mickey asks, almost snapping at Jorge.

"It's a check for the work you did today."

And then Mickey does snap. "Are you fucking kidding me? I wasn't even late!"

"That's not why I'm letting you go," Jorge replies simply. "I don't employ vampire fuckers."

It takes all the strength Mickey possesses to not knock Jorge on his fat ass. "Fuck you! You don't have to fire me, I fuckin' quit!"

As Mickey walks away, Jorge mutters under his breath, "Fuckin' fangbanger…"

Mickey doesn't know why, but Jorge's parting words set him off. He turns around and delivers a strong blow to Jorge's nose. Jorge falls back, clutching his face in agony. There's blood streaming down onto his shirt and he's swearing up a storm at Mickey, still he doesn't get up to retaliate. His nose is most definitely broken. The scene is drawing attention and a few of the other workers are now making their way towards Mickey and Jorge. It's now time for Mickey to leave.

* * *

Instead of heading for the diner, Mickey returns to Ian's house. He doesn't bother knocking on the door and just lets himself inside. He finds Ian is already up and in the kitchen. He's just opened a bottle of Tru Blood after putting his sheets in the dryer.

"Hey-"

Mickey cuts him off by pressing their lips together in a similar fashion from the night before.

Ian pulls away with a grin on his face. "Hello to you too."

Mickey doesn't reply. Instead he pushes Ian against the kitchen sink. He nips at Ian's neck as he unzips his pants and starts palming at the vampire's hardening cock. Ian moans at the contact but can tell something isn't right. He extricates himself from Mickey without having to use much of his vampiric strength.

"Mickey, not that I'm complaining, but what are you doing?"

Still, Mickey says nothing and forces himself to look anywhere but at Ian's green eyes.

"Mickey…" Ian pries further.

"I got fucking fired today!" Mickey says abruptly. "My first fuckin' day on the job and I got fired!"

"Sorry."

"Yeah, well you should be because it's all your fuckin' fault!"

Ian furrows his brows in confusion.

"My asshole boss Jorge saw the marks on my neck," Mickey clarifies. "Said he doesn't employ 'vampire fuckers'."

"And your first thought was to come back here and fuck me again?" Ian asks suspiciously.

"No! I mean, not no… just, fuck!"

Mickey groans in frustration. He wants to tell Ian he doesn't give a shit that Ian's a vampire. He wants to tell Ian he doesn't give a shit about the marks on his neck. He wants to tell Ian it terrifies Mickey that he doesn't care about these things, because he _should_, and he just doesn't. But Mickey doesn't know how to say any of that.

"Are you gonna tell me what's wrong?" Ian asks at length.

"Not everybody just gets to blurt out how they fuckin' feel every minute."

Ian seems to accept this answer because he's looking sympathetically at Mickey now. "I can heal them if you want."

"The fuck are you talking about?"

"The wounds on your neck. Vampire blood can heals wounds. You wouldn't have to drink it or anything, just let me rub a few drops-"

"No!" Mickey interrupts.

"If it helps you get your job back though…"

"Nah, I'll just work some place else."

And then Ian is beaming that megawatt smile of his.

"Why are you always giving me these looks, Gallagher?" Mickey asks suddenly.

"What looks?"

"Well, right now you're giving me a look like you're on cloud fucking nine."

"Maybe I am," Ian answers with a shrug and pulls Mickey closer to himself by his waist.

Mickey rolls his eyes but lets Ian bring him into a sublime kiss.

When Ian pulls away, his smile turns playful. "Stay for dinner?"

"Since when do you have food?"

"Since tonight," Ian answers, opening the fridge to reveal it freshly stocked with groceries.

"Such a fuckin'-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Ian cuts in. "I'm such a fuckin' boy scout."

Mickey tries not to smile but it's honestly pretty useless. "I can't. I haven't seen my brothers or Mandy all day. I should probably stay home tonight."

And then Ian actually fucking pouts.

"There's another one of your fucking looks," Mickey responds. "I'll stay over tomorrow."

"You better," Ian replies, kissing Mickey again.

Mickey withdraws his lips from Ian. He doesn't say goodbye as he turns to leave.

"Nice shirt by the way, and thanks for washing my sheets," Ian calls out just as Mickey reaches the front door.

Mickey flips him off and heads home.

* * *

"And where have _you_ been all day, dear brother of mine?" Mandy asks, coming into the living room.

"Work," Mickey answers simply. He brushes past his sister to the fridge and reaches for a beer.

Mandy follows her brother. "Did you see-" Mandy cuts herself off when she notices the bite marks on Mickey's neck. "Oh my god, you _did_! And you let him bite you _too_?"

"We're not talking about this."

"You little fangbanging _slut_! I'm so proud!"

"Don't call me that."

"Well, if you prefer whore…"

"Fuck you, you know what I mean. A fangbanger, don't fucking call me that!"

"Jesus, calm down." Mandy senses her brothers distress and presses him further. "Everything ok?"

"No, fuckin' Jorge fired me!"

"What, why?"

"Why do you think?" Mickey asks, waving a hand at his neck.

"Ah, shit. Sorry, Mick."

Mickey and Mandy are interrupted by the front door opening, their older brothers walking in.

"Fuck…" Mickey swears under his breath.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Colin asks as he joins their siblings in the kitchen, grabbing beers for him and Iggy. Much like everyone else has been doing today, Colin's eyes dart to Mickey's neck. "Ah, fuck! I lost the bet!"

Mandy glares daggers at her brother, and Colin retreats to the living room.

"You _fucked_ him?" Iggy asks, equally concerned and angry as he takes the beer Colin hands him.

Mickey scrunches his brows. "What?"

"Nothing!" Mandy interjects, trying to flee from Mickey's growing bewilderment. "It's nothing."

"Hold up!" Mickey yells, following his siblings to the living room. "You all placed bets on when Ian and me would supposedly fuck but you were all giving me shit for being around him anyways?"

Mickey's sibling turned to look at each other, avoiding Mickey's death glare.

"Man, fuck all of you!" Mickey shouts, and then abruptly turns around and heads to his bedroom. He slams the door shut.

"Shit, I think he's really pissed," Colin states.

"Well, _Iggy's_ the one who nearly had an aneurysm the other day."

"Fuck off," Iggy swears at his sister. "I was just trying to look out for him."

"Hey, go see if he's alright," Colin says, shoving at his sister's knee.

Mandy huffs. "Why do _I_ always have to be the one to go?"

"Because," Colin reasons, "you and Mickey are the youngest. You might as well be twins."

Mandy rolls her eyes but concedes. "Fine…"

"Hey," Iggy calls out to her.

"What?" Mandy asks as she turns around.

"Tell him we're sorry. Tell him _I'm_ sorry, or whatever."

"Fuck you, tell him yourself," Mandy dismisses.

Iggy shoots her a one finger salute before she heads to Mickey's bedroom.

Mandy knocks on Mickey's door tentatively. "Mick?" She turns the door knob and pushes the door open. Mandy sees her brother standing in front of a small mirror on his wall. "Mickey?"

Mickey hadn't heard Mandy knock or call for him at first. He was entranced by the bite left on his neck, running his fingers over it. When he notices Mandy coming in his room, Mickey jumps a little and tries to act casual. "Fuck, what do you want?"

"Are you really that pissed?" Mandy asks, sitting down at the edge of Mickey's bed.

Mickey joins her. "You're all still assholes, but nah. I'm not really that pissed."

"Good."

They sit in a comfortable silence for a while. Mickey is still replaying the previous night in his head and all the events that led up to it. Mandy is watching her brother, she notices he's thinking hard on something. She waits for him to talk though. She knows her brother. She knows when Mickey wants to say something, he will, you just have to be patient. Finally, Mickey speaks up.

"I think I might really like him, Mands…"

"Well, that's good, isn't it?"

"I don't know…" Mickey mulls the thought over. "It's kinda pretty fucking terrifying."

Mandy chuckles softly. "Yeah…"

"What, that's it? That's all you got for me, just 'yeah'?"

"What do you want me to say, Mickey? That if you just _believe_, it'll all be ok. That it'll be easy? That stuff's bullshit and you know that better than anyone," Mandy pauses to rest her head on Mickey's shoulder. "But, if you really like Ian, and he really likes you, don't you think it's worth it to find out? To just throw logic out the window and say 'Fuck it'."

Mickey doesn't answer. There's too many questions and uncertainties flying inside his head. Still, there's at least one thing he's sure of - he wants to continue seeing Ian.

Mandy eventually realizes Mickey isn't going to respond to her, so she tries to lighten the mood. "So, what's it like doing it with a vampire?"

"Alright, get out," Mickey says, pushing her off himself.

"Aw, c'mon Mickey!" Mandy whines. "What's the point of having a gay brother if we can't talk about dicks, especially vampire dicks?"

"I am _not_ talking about dicks with you, vampire or otherwise," he replies, shoving his sister out of his bedroom. He shuts the door once she's on the other side of the threshold.

Mickey sighs heavily and runs a hand through his hair. His days and nights feel like they've been chockfull of havoc recently. He flops onto his bed and tries to get some sleep.

* * *

**Notes:** Hep D, or Hepatitis D, is a strain of the Hepatitis virus. It's harmless to humans, but weakens vampires if they drink the blood of an infected human. Hep D is not fatal, but it does weaken vampires greatly for several months which puts them in danger of being harmed or killed. Hep V is a fatal strain of Hep D that continues to weaken a vampire until the virus induces the true death. Since this story takes place around the first seasons of True Blood and Hep V wasn't created until S6, Hep V isn't going to be a problem for Ian or Nika. :)

Don't think I cleared this up, and don't think I need to but in case I do, the word _Fangbanger_ is a derogatory term for someone who has sex with a vampire.


	6. A Deadly Return

**Chapter 6: A Deadly Return**

* * *

"Wake up, shithead!"

Mickey was woken up by his sister smacking him on the forehead. "What the fuck!"

"C'mon, you got work."

"What…?" Mickey said drowsily as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. "No, I don't. I got fired, remember?"

"I just got off the phone with my boss Allen," Mandy informs. "Said you could start today."

"There is no fucking way I'm taking orders at that place!"

"No, you're not. You're gonna be on dishwashing duty mostly, and garbage disposal, stuff like that."

"I'm supposed to _clean_ after people?"

"It's not like you have to work there for the rest of your life."

"I'd rather blow my fucking brains out…" Mickey grumbles.

"_But_, you do need a job, and this is as good as any. So, get up, get dressed, and hurry the fuck up. Don't wanna be late," Mandy says, throwing some semi-clean clothes at her brother before leaving his room.

Mickey groans through his annoyance. Mandy is right. He can't afford to be picky about jobs right now. So, Mickey reluctantly gets out of bed, and gets ready for another first day at work - with his sister. If a merciful god exists, he'd take Mickey's soul now.

* * *

"The fuck is she doing here?" Mickey asks when he and Mandy arrive outside the diner.

"I need job too," Svetlana answers, pursing her lips at Mickey.

"And we need the help," Mandy adds. "Seems everyone's sick or something. I haven't heard from Kelly in ages, and another one of the girls, Stacy, she hasn't been to work in a few days either."

"You sure they are sick?" Svetlana asks.

"What do you mean?"

"Two girls are missing. You do not think that is odd?" In her line of work, Svetlana knows that when girls start disappearing it's never a good sign.

"Don't be so grim. They're just… well, where else would they be?"

"She might have a point, Mands," Mickey says warily.

"Maybe we should tell Ian about it tonight."

"And Nika," Svetlana says.

Mandy and Mickey nod an ok.

The trio head into the diner to begin the day. Mandy introduces her brother and Svetlana to Allen. He's nice, _too_ nice. Neither Mickey nor Svetlana know how to act around genuinely kind people, so they nod courteously when it's appropriate and only speak unless it's absolutely necessary. Mandy shakes her head in amusement at the two of them. It's like Mickey and Svetlana are two sides of the same coin. Mandy shows them to the lockers and proceeds to train them. There's not a whole lot to it. Mickey knows how to clean, he just doesn't like to, and Svetlana picks up waiting tables rather quickly.

Afternoon rolls around, and the diner is surprisingly busy. With a short staff, Allen has to take on waiting some tables as well. Currently, he's taking an order from an elderly couple out on a date for their anniversary.

"What can I get you?" Allen asks.

"Well, we were going to order the pineapple pie," he man states.

"Yes, it's our favorite," his wife adds.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but you don't want that. That pie's been sitting there for over a week, I have to admit."

"That's too bad, cherry then?"

"Ok, coming right up." Allen walks over to the dessert display for the pie as Svetlana sticks a new order on the revolving rack. "Svetlana, could you throw the pineapple pie out? It's been here forever, it's definitely not good anymore."

"Alright," Svetlana answers simply with a single nod. She takes the tray of pie as Allen hands it to her and goes into the kitchen to dispose of it. The pie is definitely starting to go bad, and Svetlana has to hold her breath a bit.

"What are you doing?" Mickey asks with a vexed tone.

Svetlana dumps the pie unceremoniously into the trash.

"That shit reeks."

"That is why Allen said to throw it away."

"If that stays here, it's gonna stink up the whole kitchen."

"So take out trash."

Mickey raises an eyebrow at Svetlana. She's got guts to think she can order Mickey around like that.

Svetlana rolls her eyes at Mickey's dramatics and starts tying off the garbage bag.

"Alright, alright," Mickey says, walking towards Svetlana from the sink. "It's almost full anyways. Hold the door open so I can carry it out."

She does. The two work well together when they want.

"Open the dumpster," Mickey says once they're outside.

Svetlana is unprepared for what she finds when she opens the lid. "Oh my god…"

"What?" Mickey asks, letting the garbage bag fall to the ground to peer at what Svetlana is gaping at. "Holy fuck!"

Inside the dumpster are two dead girls.

There is no blood on them, and their skin looks completely drained of color - drained of life. They have pairs of puncture wounds on their necks and wrists. They're from a vampire no doubt. A vampire, or vampires, did this.

Mickey and Svetlana are shocked into silence. The back door swings open, snapping them out of their daze.

"What are you two doing out here?"

"Mandy, get the fuck back!" Mickey shouts.

"Why?"

"Just stay back, dammit!" Mickey repeats, holding his sister back by her shoulders. "Go back inside and tell Allen to get out here."

"Mickey, what the fuck is going on?"

Svetlana's already on her phone with the police. She can only get a few words out at a time before she's swearing in Russian.

"There's a couple of girls in the dumpster… dead."

Mandy's eyes go wide with terror. "Kelly and Stacy?"

"Probably."

"Let me see, I have to see!" Mandy yells, trying to shove past her brother.

Mickey tightens his hold on his sister and even manages to push her back a few steps further. "Go back inside and get Allen."

Mandy turns away in defeat, fear and anger attempting to take over. She disappears for a moment and reemerges with their boss.

Allen takes in the scene cautiously and walks up to Mickey. "Mandy says… she says…"

"They're in there," Mickey indicates, nodding towards the dumpster.

Allen approaches the bin slowly. When he's close enough to see who's inside, his breath catches in his throat. He shudders as he exhales and runs a hand over his face, then turns back to Mandy.

"It's them."

* * *

The police arrive fairly quickly. Allen closed the diner and dismissed the other employees. The less of a crowd there is the better.

There are two police officers, Jameson and Cortez, who are first on the scene. They don't waste any time and are soon questioning everyone as more police arrive.

Mickey fucking hates cops. It's not because he served his first stint in juvie when he was only thirteen for going on a small drug run for Terry. His dad would've done it himself, but he'd just gotten out of prison. Terry couldn't take that risk. That was his excuse anyway. Mickey was certain now that Terry had never been as fearless as he led everyone to believe. So he got a barely teenage Mickey to go on the run for him. Not that Mickey had much choice. If he refused, Terry would have beat him into a pulp. Turns out the cops were already waiting at the rendezvous spot, and that's where they got a hold of Mickey. And Mickey hated them. Not necessarily because they caught him, he was more angry at himself for that, but for the way they treated him. No one over gave a shit about helping out the ghetto kids, and no one ever gave a shit about Terry Milkovich's ghetto kids. Just because they were cops, and just because Mickey was unfortunate to be poor _and_ have Terry as his father, didn't mean they had the right to treat him like he was trash - like he'd never amount to anything.

And now the blonde one, the woman, Jameson, she's giving Mickey the fucking stink eye in between asking Svetlana questions. She's probably not even paying attention to whatever Svetlana is saying. Mickey scowls back until she returns her attention to Ian's friend.

Yeah, Mickey fucking hates cops.

He's leaning against the wall of the building opposite of the diner and lights up a cigarette. He closes his eyes. Mickey takes a long drag, the hit of nicotine slowly calming him down. When he opens his eyes again, the swirl of red and blue lights give him a headache. He closes his eyes once more. Mickey almost instantly thinks of Ian. He wishes it was nightfall already. He needs to see Ian. Mickey's not sure Ian, or anyone else for that matter, can help him out of whatever this is, but Mickey needs to see him. He just feels… _safer_ around Ian. He feels calmer.

Mickey jumps unexpectedly when he opens his eyes again. "Jesus, the fuck are you sneaking up on people for?" he asks the middle aged man standing in front of him. He's got dark skin, a bald head, and a fancy trench coat on.

"Sorry about that… Mr. Milkovich?"

"It's Mickey."

The man nods. "I'm Detective Desmond Dupree," he says, showing his badge.

"That certainly rolls off the tongue doesn't it, Detective?" Mickey says with a snort.

Detective Dupree ignores Mickey's mocking tone and continues. "I'll be the lead investigator on this case."

"What's to investigate?" Mickey asks. "Girls got killed by a fanger. "

"There have been multiple vampire related killings all over town. This cannot go ignored."

"And what do you plan to do about it, catch the vamps? Lock 'em up and throw away the key? Like you _could_." Mickey flicks his cigarette on the ground and crushes it with his heel. Mickey has no interest, and even less patience, in being questioned again. He starts to walk away.

"I wasn't finished," Detective Dupree says, blocking Mickey's path.

"I already talked to your other officers."

"And now you're talking with me," the detective says simply. "So why don't you tell me what happened when you found the victims?"

Mickey huffs out his anger, and goes through the process of explaining once more.

When he's done, Mickey releases another exasperated sigh. "There, I told you everything I know. Can I fucking go now, please?"

Detective Dupree hands Mickey a card with his contact information on it. "Be sure to call if there's anything else you care to share."

"Yeah, whatever," Mickey replies curtly, nearly snatching the card. He only takes it because he knows he has to.

The coroner is now taking the dead waitresses out of the dumpster. Mickey's seen a lot of shit in his life, but never a dead body, let alone two. He has to look away before he gags.

He walks back inside the diner where he finds Mandy, Svetlana, and Allen. They're all visibly shocked and exhausted.

"You guys should go home," Allen advises.

"You sure?" Mandy asks.

"Yeah, it's fine. Think we should stay closed for a couple days."

_There goes another job_, Mickey thinks. It's only for a while though, so he doesn't say anything. Mickey offers to take Svetlana home. She actually smiles at him, genuinely appreciative of the offer, but she declines. There will still be light out when Svetlana gets home. She reassures him she'll be fine. He nods, and Svetlana takes her leave from the Milkovich brother and sister.

Mickey turns to Mandy. "Let's go home."

"Yeah…"

* * *

On the way home, Mickey and Mandy are mostly quiet. When they get off the bus stop closest to their house, Mickey breaks their silence.

"I'd ask if you're ok, but that's always a shitty thing to ask when two of you're friends get killed by a vamp."

Mandy quirks a rueful smile. "They weren't my friends. I mean, they weren't _not_ my friends but…" Mandy trails off. "This day was really fucked."

"Can't argue there."

"Our whole lives have been fucked."

"Things are better now."

"With dead bodies falling all around us? I don't think so."

"Hey," Mickey says, stopping at the gate to their house, "we're gonna figure this shit out, Mands. We're Milkoviches, and maybe that didn't mean anything before Terry left, but things are different now - we're different. You, me, Colin, Iggy - we're in this together."

Mandy smiles again, this time big and warm like their mother. "Thanks, big brother."

"You got it, little sister." Mickey smiles back at her and swings an arm over her shoulder, tugging her up the front steps and into their house.

"What the hell's all this?" Mandy asks when they step inside.

Colin is at the back of the house putting in another load of laundry in what looks like a new washing machine. Iggy is in the living room separating the clothes they've washed so far into separate piles, but not actually folding them.

"We got a new washing machine," Colin calls out.

"Who'd you steal it from?"

"No one," Iggy clarifies. "We just got home when some delivery guy shows up and says somebody ordered it for us, fully paid for and everything."

"And you didn't think to ask who?" Mickey asks.

"He didn't know."

"And the washer had this weird note inside," Colin adds, coming into the living room. He digs for it in his pockets and presents it to Mickey.

Mickey reads it over. "Well, that's cryptic."

"Think this has anything to do with what happened at the diner today?" Mandy asks her brother.

"What happened at the diner?" Iggy inquires.

"We found two of the supposedly sick waitresses dead in a dumpster. Drained by vamps."

"Jesus, the hell is goin' on in this town?"

"That's what we're gonna try to find out tonight," Mickey informs.

"What's happening tonight?" Colin interrupts.

"Meeting up at Ian's place with Svetlana and her girlfriend."

* * *

Ian is woken up half an hour earlier than he should by his phone ringing. It's Nika. She's far older than Ian so she doesn't require as much sleep. Still, it's uncommon for vampires to wake before nightfall, what with the sun still being out and all. Nika wouldn't have woken up earlier unless it was important. He answers the phone.

"_Are you awake?_"

"I am now," Ian groans. "What's up, there's still twenty minutes to sundown."

"_Sveta and I are on our way._"

Ian sits up sharply. "What, now? How?"

"_Too many layers of clothing, and I ride in trunk._"

Ian would have laughed if his sister wasn't risking her life. "Nika, that's dangerous!"

"_This cannot wait._"

"What the hell is so important you're risking meeting the sun?!"

"_Girls at Svetlana's new job were found dead today. Both had vampire bites._"

"That's where Mandy works…" Ian murmurs.

"_And you're human, Mickey._"

"What, are they all ok?"

"_Yes. We are all meeting at your house._"

"Yeah, alright. See you when you get here."

Ian hangs up. He looks around his basement room angry and confused. His eyes land on a framed picture on the dresser next to his bed. It's of him and Fiona. She's got her arms wrapped around him, and they're both grinning wide. Lip took the picture, which is why he's not in it. Ian remembers this because it was the day Debbie was born. That's why they're smiling.

A single tear of blood runs down Ian's pale cheek. He hates crying blood, it's gross.

"What am I gonna do, Fiona? I don't know what's going on." Ian shudders a breath, trying to keep his tears at bay. "Everything is so fucked. It's all my fault. It was my fault you-" Ian stops himself. He can't finish that sentence. "I miss you all so much. I'm sorry." Ian let's himself go for a moment, but refuses to make any noise. He inhales deeply and slowly releases the air from his lungs. He stares at the picture until he's interrupted by the sound of his front door opening.

"Ian!" Svetlana calls out. "Where are you, orange fanger?"

Ian quickly wipes his bloodied tears away and meets Svetlana in the living room. She notices something off with the vampire.

"Were you-"

"I'm fine," Ian cuts her off. "Did you leave Nika in the trunk?! There's still…" Ian looks to the clock on the mantlepiece, "uh, ok only thirty seconds of sunlight left."

"You don't need to worry about me," Nika says, strolling into the house with about five layers of clothing, coats, gloves, sunglasses, and a sunhat.

"What the fuck were you doing going out during the day?"

"I told you, we meet here, no time to waste. Now, I am trying to take jackets off," Nika answers as Svetlana begins to help her.

"There was still light out! You could've…" Ian trails off and massages his temples. "I hope I'm not as reckless when I'm as old as you." The older vampires become, the more invincible they think they are.

"It was only a few minutes," Nika continues as she shucks out of the last coat. She walks to the window and pulls the curtain back. "See, no more sun."

"You still should have waited." Ian spots a familiar car pulling up in front of his house. He rushes to the door but doesn't open it.

"He is like puppy waiting for master to come home," Svetlana says to her girlfriend.

There's a knock at the door and Ian has to force himself not answer immediately. When he finally does, he greets three of the four Milkoviches as they walk past him into the living room until he's left at the door with one - Mickey.

"Hey," Mickey says shyly. It's a bit embarrassing being around Ian with a room full of people who know exactly how he got the bite mark on his neck.

Ian smiles big, his dark thoughts from only minutes ago almost vanishing. His eyes scan Mickey's neck. "Those seem to be healing nicely."

"Maybe you could bite me again," Mickey deadpans. Of course Mickey would be the kind of guy to go from zero to sixty-five in a heartbeat.

"Stop being a tease, that's my job."

"Oh, excuse me," Mickey replies playfully, joining the others.

Iggy and Colin take the two armchairs at the front of the living room. Mickey, Mandy, Svetlana and Nika take the couch, with Mandy and Svetlana in the middle. And Ian takes the armchair across from Mickey's brothers.

"Alright," Ian begins, addressing everyone in the room, "who wants to start?"

Mickey, Mandy, and Svetlana recount what happened at the diner earlier that day. When Svetlana speaks about how she was the first to find the girls, Nika leans closer to her on the couch, taking Svetlana's trembling hand into her own and interlocking their fingers. She runs gentle circles on the back of her girlfriend's hand with her thumb until Svetlana finishes talking.

The first question Ian asks is a surprise even to himself as he blurts it out. "Are you two blood bonded?"

Both Nika and Svetlana look up at Ian in a _what does that have to do with anything_ stare.

"What? Sorry, I just haven't had the chance to ask since I've been back. And you're all…" Ian waves a hand at their intertwined fingers.

"Yes," Svetlana states.

"What the hell's a blood bond?" Colin asks.

"The bond between vampire and human," she answers.

"Wait, are we-"

"No," Ian interrupts Mickey. "In order for that to happen you'd have to drink my blood."

"She drank your blood?" Iggy asks Nika in shock before turning to Svetlana. "You drank her blood? How are you not a vampire then?"

"It doesn't work like that," Ian answers.

"Hold up," Mickey jumps in again, "I don't get it. What's the point of that?"

"Is it a big deal?" Mandy asks.

"It's a _very_ big deal," Ian says, glaring back at his vampire sister and her girlfriend. "Once a human drinks vampire blood, that vampire will be able to sense _every_ emotion of the human that drank their blood as well as determine their exact location at all times. And well, there's also some pretty intense sexual side effects. The bond wears off the longer it's been since the human drinks the vampire's blood, but still..."

"Sexual side effects?" Mickey asks with intrigue in his voice but also concern.

"Increased libido, some super vivid and detailed sex dreams of the vampire you drank from."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Mandy remarks.

"You do not know what you are saying," Svetlana replies. "Imagine waking up in sweat soaked clothes and short breath because the dream you had felt so real. So real that when you wake up you think you are still dreaming, and you are shaking all over. Like seizure, or like you are dying. _That_ is what it feels like."

"Ok…" Iggy says, eyebrows raised almost to his hairline. "Why would anyone put themselves through that?"

"Because they love each other," Ian answers for the couple, now staring at them fondly. "I guess it makes sense that you bonded with Nika after I left." The bit of jealousy Ian feels dissipates. He had missed Svetlana when he left for California, and the bond they once shared.

"You _two_ had a blood bond?" Mickey asks, pointing between Svetlana and Ian.

Svetlana makes a retching noise in the back of her throat. "Do not remind me. The dreams were the worst part!"

"Hey!" Ian says, mildly offended.

"They were! How would you like to have dreams about fucking girls?"

"Sorry," Ian offers weakly.

"Shit, man," Colin interjects, "that blood bond thing sounds like hell."

"It can be. The choice for a vampire and human to commit to a blood bond isn't a decision to be taken lightly." Ian feels himself being compelled to look at Mickey, who meets Ian's green eyes with blue. "It's also one of the most important decisions the two can ever make."

There's an atmospheric shift in the room. Neither Ian nor Mickey break their eye contact.

Colin tries to lighten the mood. "Awkward…"

"Idiot," Iggy retorts, and kicks his brother's shoe.

Mandy digs her elbow into Mickey's side, effectively knocking him out of his trance.

"Ow! The fuck was that for?"

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

"What?"

"The washer? The note?"

This grabs Ian's attention immediately. "Washer, note?"

"When me and Colin got home there was a guy who came by with a new washer for us," Iggy explains.

Nika exchanges a frantic look with Ian. "You do not think…?"

Ian looks back at the Milkovich siblings. "Do you have the note?"

"Yeah," Mickey answers and reaches for it in his pockets.

Ian swiftly gets up from his chair and walks over to Mickey, quickly taking the folded piece of paper from his hand. As he reads it, sheer dread spreads across his face.

_Consider it a gift. From a friend of a friend.  
\- J/J/S_

* * *

**Notes:** That wraps up another chapter. Thanks for reading. :)


	7. The Chronicles Of Ian Gallagher

**Chapter 7: The Chronicles of Ian Gallagher**

* * *

**Notes:** Chapter title inspired by the vampire series _The Chronicles of Vladimir Todd_ by Heather Brewer  
tw for mentions of past physical/sexual abuse and suicidal ideation.

* * *

"Who the fuck is J/J/S?" Mickey asks.

Ian stares blindly at the writing on the paper before crumpling it up in his hands. "His name is Jimmy… or Jack, or Steve, or whatever other fucking alias he's going by these days! Fuck!"

"Ian…" Nika murmurs. "What will we do?"

Standing in front of his fireplace, Ian runs his hands through his thick red locks a few times. He turns around and is met with the display of photos of his siblings on the mantlepiece. His eyes graze over every frozen memory. If he concentrates hard enough he can almost hear them laughing. He can almost pretend they're still with him in the living room, instead of Mickey and his siblings, and Svetlana and Nika. Ian can remember what it was like during holidays and birthdays. Before Frank would show up and ruin their spirits, there were moments of actual peace and happiness. He can feel blood begin to pool in is eyes again. Ian wipes the tears away before they fall, eyes never leaving the photographs.

Mickey slowly rises to his feet and advances towards Ian. He puts a tentative hand on Ian's shoulder, and tries to speak softly. "Ian?"

Ian closes his eyes briefly and inhales deeply. He tries to sigh his anxieties away as best he can for the moment and turns to Mickey. "We need to leave."

"And go where?"

"Your house. It's not safe for any of us here."

"Why not?"

"Mickey!" Ian accidentally snaps. He looks at Mickey apologetically, then continues, "Please, can we just go? I'll explain everything when we get there."

Mickey furrows his brow a bit, studying Ian's face, but complies with a steady nod. He looks back at everyone in the room, forgetting they had an audience. "Alright, let's go."

The group piles into their respective vehicles. Ian, Svetlana, and Nika follow the Milkovich siblings.

Nika is behind the wheel with Svetlana beside her, and Ian rides in the back. She looks back at her brother through the review mirror but Ian doesn't notice. His eyes seem to be boring holes into the floor of the car.

Nika clears her throat softly before she speaks. "What will you tell them?"

Ian remains silent and still. Nika doesn't think he heard her so she tries again. "Ia-"

"Everything," he cuts off.

"Really?"

"I have no choice. I figured I'd have to tell Mickey eventually if we were gonna be serious. I just really didn't think it'd come up this soon, in _this_ way. But I've involved him - all of them - in this, so now I have no choice."

"You have not known them for long, Ian," Svetlana says. "Can you trust them?"

"I trust _him_."

Svetlana and Nika only need a few moments to mull it over, and look to each other for reassurance. They come to a silent agreement. Svetlana nods.

Nika glances at Ian through the mirror again. "Alright."

The two cars pull up to the Milkovich home. The passengers all carefully exit the cars. Once Ian and Nika are invited, they all enter the house. Iggy and Colin retrieve the chairs from the kitchen and set them up in the living room. They all settle around the room quietly. Ian peeks through the tattered curtains, making sure no one is outside.

"I feel like we're gonna need a few drinks," Mandy says, breaking the heavy silence. She goes into the kitchen and returns with some plastic cups and a bottle of cheap vodka. "We don't have any of that Tru Blood, sorry."

"I do not feel hungry anyway," Nika replies.

Mandy looks back at Ian. "Why'd we have to come here?"

He's oddly quiet and distant. Nika answers for him. "A vampire cannot enter a human's home without being invited, but a vampire needs no invitation to enter the home of another vampire."

Mandy then turns to Mickey as if telepathically communicating to him to bring Ian back from wherever his mind has gone.

"Ian, c'mon," Mickey says, walking up next to him. "There's no one out there."

Ian doesn't say anything at first. After a stretching silence he speaks. "I got sick."

His voice is so low that only Mickey heard him.

"What?" Colin asks.

The room is quiet once more before Ian turns around to meet everyone's expectant gazes on him.

"I got sick," he repeats. "I mean, I guess I was always sick, but we didn't find out until it was too late." He sighs heavy as he and Mickey take to the pair of chairs left for them.

"Fiona," he continues, "my sister, she had this boyfriend. He seemed nice, and I guess he was, before…" Ian trails off.

Mickey doesn't know what this has to do with Ian being sick, or what either of those things have to do with what's happening now. He wants to ask, but he doesn't. He remains silent, and let's Ian gather himself before he goes on.

"They met at night, at some club. He told us his name was Steve. He never came around during the day, and I don't know. He was good to her, so we never thought to question it. Debbie and Carl were the ones who found out. They followed him one night back to his place. Of course, none of us believed them at first, thought they were just acting out. But the more they went on, the more they made sense. We never saw Steve during the day, we never saw him eat, or drink. I guess when he was with Fiona, he never did anything to her, never bit her, because she was as shocked as the rest of us."

Ian doesn't look anywhere but at the ground. He sounds like he's a thousand miles away and recounting a story that happened to someone else. His eyes are still green, but Mickey can't help but think the color in them has disappeared - like they're empty.

"Fiona broke it off with him, and he was fucking pissed. We couldn't stay out at night for a while. Fiona was scared he'd do something to us. Jimmy, that was his real name, Jimmy Lishman, he eventually backed off. Things pretty much went back to normal. We were barely scraping by, wondering how we'd make rent and still have enough left for groceries. Frank would drop in every now and then, babbling in his permanently inebriated state, always looking to steal whatever cash we had. It wasn't great, but we got our lives back, at least for a little while. And then my dumb ass got sick."

Ian laughs ruefully. Mickey brings the plastic cup up to his parted lips and takes a large gulp. He doesn't much like the taste of vodka, but he doesn't think he wants to hear the rest of Ian's story without some alcohol in his system. Nothing of what Ian has told them sounds good, and he doubts it will get better.

"It wasn't like a cough, or a cold, or anything like that. I joined the army on a whim using my brother's, Lip's, identity. He didn't have to worry about getting drafted because he was at college, but I kind of liked the idea of fighting for my country. I'm not sure how it all happened, but I just couldn't focus. At basic, I tried to steal a helicopter, and then went awol. Lip found me on the side of the street, strung out on a bunch of drugs, in the middle of the goddamn winter. He took me home. I told everyone I felt fine because I really did, but…"

Ian shuts his eyes, trying to think back and pinpoint where his symptoms all began. It's been sixty years and he still doesn't know. In another sixty years, Ian's pretty sure he still wouldn't be any closer to figuring it out.

"I just… started getting all this energy. It felt like it was building up inside me somewhere, and I couldn't come down from it. I didn't _want_ to come down from it. But then I did. I woke up one morning and I didn't want to get out of bed. I lied there for hours, then for days, then weeks. I knew my siblings felt bad for not noticing earlier. Our mom, Monica, was the same way. Now, this thing I had, what Monica had… it's called bipolar. Only, no one really knew what that was back then. The doctors weren't much help. I'm sure Lip was angry he couldn't come up with some cure. He said he was going to medical school to find one, he was so sure he would too. But as time went on, and I didn't get better, Fiona grew desperate, so she called up Jimmy. His dad was a doctor."

Ian's monotone voice falters for the first time since he's started talking. He clenches and unclenches his hands, trying to shake off his distress.

"Or, at least, he pretended to be. Jimmy arranged for his dad, Ned, and I to meet up. He was a vampire too, turned his whole family, except for his wife. And it was just my shit luck that he was gay too, and that he had a thing for redheads. I was supposed to be seeing him for therapy sessions or whatever, but… well, you can imagine what I was really seeing him for. He said if I told anyone, he'd kill my family. I don't think Jimmy intended for it to go that way. He just wanted his dad to drain me to get back at Fiona, and that'd be it. But Ned was kind of obsessed with me, he refused to let me go. In the end, Jimmy was the one who told Fiona. Not because he decided to be a good person, he was just jealous his dad payed more attention to me than he did him. Before my family had a chance to get me away from Ned, he turned me."

The room has been quiet, but it seems quieter still now that the pieces of Ian's story are coming together. Mickey rubs his chin with his thumb apprehensively. He doesn't know what to make of anything Ian's said just yet. He feels sorrow, worry, and most of all anger. It's a feeling he's used to, but _this_, what Ian's told them so far, awakens something more, something deeper. It's similar to how he feels about his brothers and sister. Mickey realizes he's not just angry on Ian's behalf, but that he also wants to protect him from any further harm. He doesn't know how to sort out everything he's feeling, and he wonders how Ian's been able to deal when he's the one who had to experience this tragedy.

"I wasn't allowed to see my family after that. I wasn't allowed to leave him, not that I could. When a human is first turned, they have to stay with their maker until they're released. They have to obey every word and command. It's like a compulsion, you don't have a choice. We were only in the north side, but it may as well have been a different country."

Ian takes time to breathe, to process. He's lived with these nightmares his whole life, but actually speaking about them is a different experience altogether. He exhales deeply, and continues.

"A year passed, and I… just couldn't take it anymore. I told Ned that if he didn't release me I'd kill myself, stake my own heart right in front of him so he'd watch me transmogrify into a pile of red goo on his expensive, Italian carpet. So, finally, he let me go. That same night I went back to see my brothers and sisters, but when I got home they were all dead, scattered through out the house covered in their own blood. The next night, I found Frank in a sewer. He was dead too. Last I heard, Monica was living with some girlfriend of hers. I tracked them down, but it was also too late for them. I went to go see my biological father, Clayton. He, along with his wife and two kids, were also dead. My uncles, Jerry, Wyatt. Fucking cousin Patrick and his whole family. Even Grammy Gallagher who was in prison, were all fucking dead. The entire Gallagher family wiped out in just a matter of days. Jimmy, that bastard!"

Ian's voice turns dark, rich with malice. Mickey hasn't seen this side to Ian before, and he has to admit to himself that it does scare him.

"Jimmy was the one who killed all of them. His dad was throwing a fit, so he decided to kill everyone I ever loved, and then some. Liam was only _four _for Christ's sake!"

Hot, red tears fall down Ian's pale face. He wipes them away sloppily.

"Becoming a vampire may have gotten rid of my bipolar disorder, but I swear I never felt more out of control than I did back then. I went back to Ned's, hoping I'd find him or Jimmy, ideally both, and kill them. I wasn't sure how. They're both older, and therefore stronger. It was either them or me, and I didn't really care which of us died. I just wanted it to be over. By the time I arrived, the house was empty. They were gone. Fucking cowards!"

Svetlana reaches across the coffee table to take one of Ian's hands into her own. She grasps his hand firmly. It takes a moment for Ian to react, but he does, and then he looks up to meet her sympathetic gaze. Ian gives Svetlana's hand a gentle squeeze, letting her know he can get through this.

"I wanted to look for them, but what they did to me and my family didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the vampire community. However, they didn't want anything to screw up The Great Revelation they were working so hard towards, so they covered it up, and exiled Ned and Jimmy. They probably went into hiding because I couldn't find them. I guess no one cared what happened to me because no one came looking for me. I was alone for a long time after that. I thought about meeting the sun most of the time, or finding a sharp object to impale myself on. The one thing that kept me going was that I'd hopefully find Ned and Jimmy one day. And then, about ten years back, I found Svetlana, or rather, she found me."

Ian and Svetlana smile fondly at the memory. It had been a long time since either of them were happy, and neither thought the other would become a permanent fixture in their life.

"She propositioned me."

"I was doing my job!" Svetlana protests. It's the first anyone besides Ian has spoken for many minutes. The mood is pleasantly lighter, as everyone chuckles at the two.

"Fuck… only fifteen, fresh off the boat, and barely knew a word of English."

"He turned me down of course, so sad."

"Shut up," Ian says playfully at her sarcastic comment. "We talked through the whole night we met, exchanged sob stories. She told me about her dad selling her off. As if she was just some object to be used, instead of a person. Like hell I was gonna let her go through any of the things I did."

Mickey shifts in his seat next to Ian, who looks carefully over at the human. He knows what Mickey wants to ask, so he waits.

"Did you… did you kill them? The people she worked for, that brought her here…"

"Yes," Ian answers simply. "They weren't the monsters I was looking for, but they were still monsters."

Mickey nods in understanding, he can't bring himself to feel sorry for any harm done to people who exploit and abuse women. It seems Mickey's siblings feel the same since none of them look upset by Ian's confession.

"What happened after that?" Mandy asks. Svetlana jumping into Ian's story must have sparked some interest in beginning a conversation because Mickey and his siblings look far more invested in what Ian has to say, and seem to have many questions behind their expectant faces.

"Lana and I moved in together," Ian answers as if it was obvious. "Some shitty, little apartment not far from here. I was pretty happy I wasn't alone anymore."

"Me too," Svetlana says before she and Ian then turn to Nika.

"Then, about eight months after that, Nika shows up." Ian holds out his hand for hers to hold in a similar fashion that Svetlana is still holding. She takes it eagerly, and picks up the story where Ian left off.

"Ned turned me too, for Jimmy. He was too much a coward to do it himself, so he always made Ned do it. He would find girls, chase them even if they were not interested in him. Then his father would turn them… and then Jimmy would kill them when he got bored. I suspect that is what would have happened to Fiona if he had more time. But I was able to get away, same way Ian did. Told them I would rather be truly dead than spend the rest of my immortal life with them. Ned released me, and then Jimmy killed my twin sister, Nadia. She was the only family I had. I heard about what happened to Ian, all the vampires were talking about it, but he was not easy to find. He moved all over country before coming back and he and Sveta found each other."

"I didn't _want_ to be found."

"_But_, eventually I did find him. They did not trust me at first, and I could not blame them. I told them of how I knew the Lishmans, and that I wanted to find them and kill them just as badly as Ian did. I helped him look for them. I was with the American Vampire League, and I used my connections with them to learn where Ned was hiding. It took over a year, but I was able to track down him in California. He got sloppy, or maybe just lazy, since he was passing himself off as a doctor again. I still could not find Jimmy. Ian decided to leave Sveta and I to handle Ned by himself."

Ian sighs heavily. He does feel guilty about leaving the only family he's ever known since his was taken away so many years ago. "I didn't want either of you getting hurt."

"I could have helped you. The two of us together would have been a smarter choice."

"I took care of it, didn't I? Besides, someone had to look after Lana."

"I am not a child," Svetlana interjects.

"Well, actually you were back then."

"Wait," Iggy says, trying to steer the conversation back to the main point. "So you killed him, that Ned guy?"

"Yeah," Ian answers. "Actually, it was a lot easier than I thought it'd be. He was so pathetic, all I had to do was seduce him. Not that it took much effort, he practically threw himself at my feet when I saw him. I waited until the sun came up, forced myself to stay awake. I broke off one of the legs of the wooden stools in the kitchen, went back to the bedroom, woke Ned up, and waited for him to realize what I was about to do, but not long enough for him to react. I staked him, and he turned into a puddle of blood and guts. The whole thing was pretty anticlimactic, I got to say. I thought I'd feel… something, _anything_. But knowing Jimmy was still out there somewhere wasn't much of a victory. I thought he'd show up when he learned I killed his dad, which is why I stayed away for so long. I wanted to make sure Lana and Nika would still be safe. He never turned up though, so I came back, and well… y'know…"

Ian turns to look at Mickey, who catches and holds Ian's stare, a shy grin playing on both their lips. The moment is interrupted by the sound of sniffling coming from where Colin is sitting. The group turns to look at him.

"Are you crying?" Ian asks.

"Nah, man," Colin replies in a muffled tone, and blinking rapidly. "I'm just, uh… it's just - _fuck_, yeah I'm fucking crying! That was the saddest fucking story I've ever heard!"

"Jesus Christ, Colin," Iggy grouses, "you're such a sad drunk."

"I'm not drunk!" he protests, which earns him an unconvinced expression from Iggy. "Ok, yeah, I'm pretty shitfaced. I think I'm gonna need therapy just from hearing all this."

Mandy snorts. "Yeah, like we didn't already need it. After all, we had such a good father figure."

"Man, best thing that asshole ever did for us was leave," Iggy says before turning to Mandy, "thanks to you."

"Aw, shucks, Ig. I always knew I was your favorite."

"Fuck you," Iggy spits without much bite.

The room descends into the three Milkovich siblings chattering and playfully bickering, while Nika and Svetlana add their own gibes when it's appropriate. Ian finally releases both their hands and turns back to Mickey who has been silent since Ian finished speaking.

Mickey's not sure how to react to everything he's just heard. He gestures with his head for Ian to follow him. Ian glances back at the rest of the group. They don't seem like they'd notice if anyone left. They're well submersed in their conversation, so he goes with Mickey. Ian follows him into the hallway and into the bathroom.

He tilts his head at Mickey. "Why'd you bring me here?"

"Your face," Mickey answers, pointing at the mirror.

"Oh, great," Ian mumbles, noticing the dried blood on himself. "Why didn't you tell me I look like shit?"

Mickey grabs a hand towel from one of the shelves and wets it with warm water under the faucet from the sink. He brings the damp cloth up to Ian's face and gently wipes away his red tears. "Because you don't."

Ian doesn't fight the feeling of being enamored by Mickey's words and actions.

"I can't believe all that happened to you," Mickey goes on as he continues to clean Ian's face. "I'm so sorry, Ian."

"It's not your fault, Mick."

"I know, but still-"

Mickey is cut off by Ian's lips meeting his. He leans into it easily. It's gentle, but passionate. He can feel Ian pouring all his emotion into it, and Mickey tries to do the same. He lets the towel fall onto the floor so he can reach behind Ian's head, pulling him closer if that's at all possible, as Ian cradles Mickey's face with his steady hands. They pull apart to rest their foreheads together, gasping for air. Ian leans in for another kiss, determined to get things going, but Mickey stops him.

"Are you sure?"

"I don't want to feel anything right now, Mickey. Except for what it feels like to be inside you."

"Ok," Mickey concedes. He lets Ian kiss him again, allowing Ian to set the pace, to take control. He pulls away. "C'mon." He quietly leads Ian out of the bathroom and into his bedroom.

Ian tugs at the waist of Mickey's jeans.

Mickey quirks a sly smile, but shakes his head. "Just wait a sec." He goes over to the window and closes the curtains and adds some spare blankets over it. "That better?"

"It'll have to do," Ian says, smiling endearingly. "Come back here."

Mickey is quick to close the space between himself and Ian. He brings his hands around Ian's neck and kisses him as Ian takes hold of Mickey's waist again and presses their hips together lightly. Their tongues intertwine, but the kiss remains elegant. A low moan escapes Mickey's parted lips as Ian presses his hips further into Mickey's. Ian smiles against Mickey's mouth, and moves his hands beneath the hem of Mickey's shirt. He rubs smooth circles on his skin before slowly pushing the fabric up, disconnecting from Mickey's lips briefly to tug it over his head. Ian discards his own shirt and jacket, and has his lips back on Mickey's, steadily guiding him towards the bed.

When Mickey's legs meet the edge of the bed he reaches down to undo Ian's belt. He detaches from Ian's mouth and starts kissing along his neck and torso, further and further down until he's seated on the bed and nipping at the skin just above the waist of Ian's jeans. Ian combs his fingers through Mickey's hair as Mickey pulls Ian's pants and boxers down to his knees, taking Ian into his mouth. He's only done this a few times before and didn't like it much, but he thinks sucking Ian off is definitely something he can get used to. Ian has his head thrown back, mouth slightly hung open, and hands tugging at Mickey's dark hair as he starts to thrust into his mouth. Mickey has to pull back before his gag reflex reacts to Ian's dick hitting the back of his throat. He coughs a few times and wipes the saliva and precum from his lips with the back of his hand.

"Sorry," Ian gasps in apology.

"I'm good," Mickey reassures, his voice strained.

Ian swipes a thumb over Mickey's lips. They're puffy and a darker shade of pink from working Ian's cock. Ian can't help but grin smugly at that. He bends down to thank Mickey with an other kiss.

"Turn over on the bed. I'm gonna eat you out."

Mickey's breath catches in his throat and a rosy blush creeps it's way up to his ears and cheeks. Rimming is an entirely new concept to him, but he's more than willing to try it out with Ian. He stands up and let's Ian remove his pants and boxers in one swift motion as Ian kicks off his own completely. Mickey gets on all fours on the bed, his knees near the edge of the mattress. Ian bends over Mickey, pressing his dick against the back of Mickey's left thigh. The contact has Mickey biting his bottom lip to keep quiet.

"You haven't done this before, have you?" Ian murmurs into Mickey's ear before sucking the lobe into his mouth.

Mickey can't help but laugh at Ian's arrogance. "How could you tell?"

Ian only smirks in response and begins to trail his tongue down Mickey's spine. He stops right above Mickey's ass and sucks a hickey into his pale skin. When satisfied with the mark he's left, he parts Mickey's cheeks and swipes his tongue over his hole.

"Holy _fuck_!" Mickey gasps, instinctively sinking down to his elbows and clutching the sheets with his fists. "Do that again."

Ian does, eliciting a whimper from Mickey. He continues to lick at Mickey's entrance until he feels Mickey pushing back on his face. Ian withdraws from Mickey's ass for a moment to wet his fingers with his saliva. He resumes lapping his tongue over Mickey's hole, this time adding two fingers to his ministrations. Mickey is rock hard, his erection bumping into his abdomen. He reaches down with a hand for some relief, but Ian pulls away again.

"Where's the lube?"

"I got it," Mickey answers, crawling to the opposite side of the bed where the nightstand is and taking out the desired object.

Ian finally climbs onto the bed, and brings Mickey's hips back to meet his. Mickey catches him off guard though, and promptly maneuvers Ian onto his back. He pours a generous amount of lube into his hand and pumps Ian's cock a few times. He straddles Ian's waist and lines himself up.

"No rubber?" Ian asks politely, not that he's complaining.

"Got tested a few days before that night we met. I'm clean, I was just… well I'd never fucked a vampire before so I was just being careful is all."

Ian smiles amusedly up at Mickey.

"You sure vampires can't pass anything to humans?"

"Yeah, Mick. We don't even get sick."

"That's not the same thing."

Ian sighs. "Look, if you don't want to- oh, shit! Mickey…" Ian is interrupted by Mickey lowering himself onto Ian's cock unexpectedly. He grasps Mickey's hips and thrusts upwards the rest of the way. When Mickey is fully seated on him, Ian's fangs pop out with a _click_.

Mickey bends down and messily kisses Ian, licking his fangs, as he lifts and lowers his thighs gradually. Ian wraps his arms around the human above him, needing the contact. The position doesn't leave Mickey with much room to move, so he just begins rutting against Ian. They stay like that for a while, pressed too close together and rubbing against their sweat slicked skin. Ian licks up the muscle in Mickey's neck before Mickey is sitting up again, placing his palms flat on Ian's strong chest to ride him properly. Mickey knows Ian has no pulse, but he thinks he can feel Ian's heart beating anyway.

Ian abruptly lifts Mickey off himself to sit against the bed frame, and pulls him back down just as swiftly. The sudden action has Mickey moaning desperately.

"Fuck, you look so perfect like this, Mick. You _feel_ so perfect," Ian whispers into Mickey's neck. "And your blood… it's the sweetest thing I've ever tasted."

"I'm close, Ian. Fuck, so close." Mickey never thought he'd get turned on by Ian telling him how good his blood tastes, and he thinks it's pretty embarrassing, but at the moment he's got other things on his mind. He clenches around Ian's dick as the familiar pressure inside him continues to build. "Do it again, _please_, for fuck's sake, bite me again."

Ian takes Mickey's cock into his hand and starts pumping him in time with their thrusts. Mickey picks up the pace further, his movements becoming erratic as Ian's dick persistently hits Mickey's prostate. He angles his head to the side, allowing Ian greater access to his neck. He shuts his eyes tight, and clamps his teeth down on his quivering lips in anticipation. Mickey feels one swipe of Ian's hot tongue on his neck, and then Ian is digging his fangs into Mickey's flesh. Mickey reflexively throws his head back to groan through out his release, but Ian's mouth clamps down in a vise grip, and a hand firmly holds Mickey's head in place. Ian fucks Mickey through his orgasm, finally reaching his own climax after Mickey is spent.

Ian disconnects from Mickey's neck and leans back against the bed frame. Blood drips down his chin and onto his chest similarly to the blood trickling from Mickey's fresh wounds. They stare at each other in a daze, coming off their high. Ian cradles Mickey's face softly and brings him into a delicate kiss.

"You really are so beautiful, Mick," he says in a hushed tone when he pulls away.

Mickey doesn't know what to say, so he says nothing. Instead, he just leans in for another kiss. He still hasn't eased himself off Ian, and he can already feel himself start to get aroused again. Ian's hands roam up Mickey's chest and sides, massage at his back, and return to settle on his hips. Ian shifts slightly, getting hard again while still inside Mickey. Without pulling out of him, Ian places Mickey on his back, head dangling off the side of the bed so Ian can have a perfect view of his elongated neck. He pushes Mickey's legs up over his shoulders and starts fucking Mickey at a lazy pace. Even after they're both fully hard, Ian still doesn't increase his speed. He strokes Mickey to his second orgasm just as slowly, and bites down gentler near his collarbone as he erupts inside Mickey once more.

* * *

"Do they really think we can't hear them in there?" Iggy asks, putting away what's left of the vodka, which isn't much.

"I do not think they care," Svetlana answers, placing her cup in the sink.

Mandy is sitting at the kitchen table next to Colin, who has his head on the cool surface, sleeping off the alcohol in his system.

"You two can take Mickey's old room," she says. "It's the first door on the right."

"Thank you," Nika replies. "We wouldn't stay if we didn't have to."

"Don't worry about it."

As Svetlana and Nika leave, Iggy plops down at the table with Mandy, Colin between them.

Like Mickey, Iggy gets quiet when something is on his mind, but unlike Mickey, Iggy needs prompting.

"What's on your mind, big brother?" Mandy asks quietly, careful not to wake Colin.

All the lights in the house are off, except for the dim glow coming from a lamp in the corner of the kitchen. It's mostly quiet, except for Colin's light snoring and the noises coming from Mickey's bedroom.

Iggy shrugs. "Nothin'…"

"You still don't like them being together, do you?"

He sighs, trying to expel his anxieties. "It's not that I don't like it _exactly_."

"Then what?"

"I'm just lookin' at this long term, and I don't think they are," Iggy confesses. "They're together now, and that's fine, it is. But what about later? What about after all this stuff with Jimmy-whoever-the-fuck gets dealt with, _if_ it gets dealt with? What about ten years from now? Twenty? Ian is a vampire. He's got an eternity. How long does Mickey have? You think Ian will still want him when _he's_ eighty, and _looks_ it?"

"Iggy…"

"No, you know I'm right."

"Are you scared Ian won't want Mickey anymore, or that Mickey won't want us anymore?"

"What?"

"That's what this is, isn't it? You think Mickey's gonna leave us."

"Like it hasn't crossed your mind," Iggy counters.

"No, not really. Look at Svetlana. She's been with both Ian and Nika for years, and they haven't turned her."

"Yeah, who knows how long that'll last…"

"Iggy, _stop_ catastrophizing."

"He's our brother, Mandy!" Iggy whispers harshly. "You really expect me to believe you haven't thought about _any_ of this?"

Mandy glances down at her lap before she decides to respond, but is interrupted by Colin.

"Will you two give it a rest already?" Colin grumbles. He sluggishly lifts his head up a few inches off the table, but doesn't look at either his brother or sister, just makes expressive faces as he talks. "They're in loooove. Let them be happy. Even if Mickey wants to become one of the undead, doesn't mean he has to leave."

Mandy and Iggy exchange a look of guilt. Amidst their arguing, they hadn't thought to just be happy for Mickey, even if it's only for a little while.

"Now take me to my bed before I pass out again."

Iggy chuckles at his brother's input. It's funny that one of the times he has something of value to say, it's when he's drunk.

"Help me get him to his room?" Iggy asks his sister.

"Sure."

They balance Colin between them, an arm slung over each of their backs. Once in his bed, Iggy and Mandy turn to leave.

"Night, little sis."

"Night, big bro."

Colin groans from his bed.

"Yeah, yeah… get some sleep. You're gonna be hungover like a motherfucker tomorrow."

Mandy giggles. "Night, drunken, other big brother."

* * *

After the third or fourth time they've fucked, Mickey is conked out on the bed beside Ian, snoozing peacefully on his stomach. Ian watches his back rise and fall with each breath he takes. He wonders how it was so easy to fall for Mickey. He's certain trying to figure that out will drive him mad.

Ian looks about the room and realizes there's only one photo there. He gets up from the bed to retrieve it from the dresser it's placed on, and settles back on the bed. It's of a small boy and girl sitting on the front steps of the house with a young woman, all matching dark hair and piercing blue eyes. It's Mickey and Mandy, no doubt. The woman, Ian surmises, is their mother. She's smiling in the photo, like Mandy's smile, but her eyebrows are quirked in a similar way Mickey's are all the time. Ian wonders what she must have been like. He wonders if Mickey remembers much of her. Mickey did say she died when he was only ten. Ian sighs forlornly. Losing someone he loves is a feeling he is more than familiar with. Perhaps that's why he's fallen for Mickey. In their own messed up way, they understand each other.

It'll be light soon. Ian decides he should clean himself up before he goes to sleep for the day. He slips on a pair of boxers from the floor and sets the photo back on the dresser. He tries to keep as quiet as possible as he trudges to the bathroom. Taking a shower, even a short one, might be a little too noisy, so Ian just wets another towel and wipes himself off as best as he can.

Instead of walking back to Mickey's bedroom right away, Ian goes into the living room. He walks over to the window and pulls back the curtains a bit. There's still about an hour left before the sun comes up. If Jimmy does have plans to make an appearance, it won't be tonight. Ian takes some comfort in that and turns to leave.

"Jesus!"

"No, I am Nika."

"What the fuck, _Ni-ka_!" Ian exclaims. "Why are you sneaking up on me when there's a murdering vampire on the loose?"

"Sorry," Nika apologizes casually. "I heard you out here. I wanted to see how you are doing."

"How I'm doing?" Ian repeats dramatically, sitting on the couch as Nika joins him. "I just learned the vampire responsible for fucking up our lives is terrorizing the people we care about _again_ \- and the neighborhood they live in."

"That did not seem to keep you and your human from your fuck fest."

"You're one to talk," Ian retorts. "You've got a little bit…"

Nika rubs at her mouth.

"Other side."

She wipes the drop of blood from the corner of her mouth and licks it off her fingers.

Ian chuckles. "Like I was saying…"

"At least Sveta and I do not make noise for whole city to hear!"

"I just wanted to forget everything for a little while."

Nika eyes her vampire brother with a concerned expression. "You are falling for him, Ian."

"Is that bad?"

"Maybe no, maybe yes."

"What does _that_ mean?"

"Sveta and I have been talking."

"Uh, ok. About what?"

"About whether or not I should turn her," Nika deadpans.

"What?!" Ian practically yells. He remembers everyone is asleep and tries to be quieter when he speaks again. "Are you two seriously considering that?"

"I love her, Ian," Nika states. "And I know you do too. Even if she had never met me, can you say that you would be alright watching her grow old and die?"

Ian opens and closes his mouth, trying to form words, but all that comes out is an exasperated sigh. "What does this have to do with me and Mickey?"

"Do not play dumb. You _know_ what."

"It's way too early to be thinking about that for us."

"But if you are falling for him, and he is falling for you, you will have to think about it at some point. And with everything that is happening right now, that point might be sooner than you realize."

"I don't think Mickey's brothers and sister would be too happy about that," Ian says warily.

"It is not their choice, only his." Nika rises from her spot next to Ian and runs a hand through his red hair. "But whatever happens, just know I am here for you, Ian."

"Thanks, Nika," Ian replies, pressing a small kiss to her hand.

After she leaves, Ian lingers in the living room, thinking. Ever since he's returned home and met Mickey, things have been so dangerous and unpredictable. Yet, he still wouldn't have it any other way.

Ian giggles to himself and goes back into the bedroom with Mickey.

* * *

**Notes:** _The Great Revelation_ is the official term for "coming out of the coffin".  
Ian's backstory was heavily inspired by my favorite TB character Godric.


	8. Willing and Waiting

**Chapter 8: Willing and Waiting**

* * *

**Notes:** I apologize for the long wait. 5x12 put me in a funk and then my computer crashed. I'm still having some computer problems and I'm not sure when they'll get resolved so updates might be a little unpredictable from here on out. Again, I'm sorry for this :(

* * *

Mickey wakes up with the best kind of ache his body has ever felt.

He doesn't open his eyes right away, and grumbles incoherently. As he stretches his limbs he realizes his bed is missing an occupant. He opens his eyes to make sure and scans his room. Mickey figures he better get out of bed and track down where his vampire boyfriend is hiding, but when he places his feet against the carpeted floor he learns he can't stand up right away. His legs are wobbly as hell from his workout with Ian last night. He has to hold onto the nightstand so his weight isn't all on his legs. Carefully, he removes his hand and takes a few tentative steps. It feels weird to walk too. A sudden smiles creeps onto Mickey's face.

There are clothes scattered on the opposite side of the room and Mickey remembers, oh yeah, he isn't wearing any. When he walks around his bed he abruptly trips and falls down. It's not because of the ache - well, not entirely. He finds that he tripped over a pair of feet sticking out from under the bed. Mickey crawls the rest of the way to retrieve his boxers and pulls back at the blanket dangling off the edge of the mattress. Sure enough, it's Ian. He's borrowed a pair of clean boxers, Mickey notices, and he's cuddled up with a pillow. Besides the whole looking a bit dead part, Ian also looks pretty adorable when he sleeps. Mickey grins, and decides to let Ian continue his rest. He pulls on his boxers and exits his room right when Mandy passes his door.

"Oh, my god! Mickey, what the hell happened to you?" Mandy exclaims, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Mickey recalls what a mess Ian made out him, literally, and smiles slyly. "Everything."

"Oh, ew!" Mandy says, recoiling her hand. "Ugh, should I even be touching you?"

"Probably not."

"Gross. You need to take a shower, and I need to disinfect my hand." Mandy stomps off into the kitchen swearing under her breath.

Mickey's smile turns mirthful as he heads to the bathroom. When Mickey catches his reflection in the mirror he realizes he really does look like hell. He's got three fresh bites. One near the almost healed bite, another near the bottom of his throat by his collarbone, and the third is to the right side where his neck meets his shoulder. He swipes his hands over each wound, his mind going back to last night. Mickey wonders how much more he could possibly want Ian if they chose to commit to a blood bond. He already wants him badly enough as it is.

After his shower, Mickey joins his sister in the kitchen.

"Where's Iggy and Colin at?"

"Work."

"I can't believe they have jobs and we don't."

Mandy snorts, bringing her mug of coffee up to take a sip.

Svetlana comes in then wearing a light pink robe Mandy let her borrow. She almost stops in her tracks when she sees all the bites Mickey has on him. His tank isn't covering much.

Sensing her gaze on him, Mickey turns to her abruptly. "What?"

"Take this," Svetlana says simply, digging in her robe pocket and tossing him a pill bottle as she pours herself a cup of coffee.

"B-12?" Mickey asks, scrunching up his brows. "The hell do I need vitamins for?"

"How many times did Ian feed from you last night?"

"Only three."

"Only three?" Svetlana repeats, raising her eyebrows in astonishment.

"Is that a lot?" Mandy asks.

"More than once a night is a lot," Svetlana informs, taking a seat with the siblings.

Mandy hits her brother on the arm with the back of her hand, producing a loud _thwack_. It sounds worse than it feels, but Mickey still whines.

"Ow, what the fuck, Mandy?"

"You shouldn't let Ian treat you like his personal blood bag."

"Ok, look. He did bite me a few times, but he mostly just drank the first time."

"That's still no excuse!"

"She is right," Svetlana interjects. "The ache you feel? That is not from your fucking last night, not all of it anyway. Your body is tired because you have lost blood. Not enough for you to be in hospital, but enough that your body feels it. The vitamins will help. You should eat too, you need to regain your energy." Svetlana finishes her coffee and trots to the stove. "I will make pancakes."

"Sounds good," Mandy chimes. "Right, Mick?"

"Uh, yeah, sure," he says awkwardly. "Thanks."

"It is no problem. I - I know what it feels like."

"Ah, right. Nika. She make you feel this, uh, ache?"

"Sometimes," Svetlana answers over her shoulder. "It is ok to indulge them sometimes, but do not make a habit of it."

"Got it," Mickey answers with a nod and unscrews the pill bottle. He downs one of the B-12 vitamins with the last of his coffee.

"Ian did not tell you about 'claiming'?"

"What's tha-"

Mandy's question is interrupted by a knock at the door. She exchanges looks with Mickey and Svetlana. Of course, none of them know who it could possibly be, which is cause for concern. She rises from her chair to slowly and quietly make her way to the door. She picks up one of the guns scattered on the coffee table and peeks through the peep whole in their door. She recoils quickly when she sees who is on the other side of the threshold.

"Oh, fuck!" Mandy curses under her breath.

"What? Who is it?" Mickey asks in a low voice.

"It's that fucking detective. Dupree or whoever," she answers back in a whisper.

"Shit! Ok, give me a sec to hide the guns. Svetlana, just, uh, keep making breakfast, or whatever."

Mikey grabs a towel to place the guns in when there's another knock at the door, a little louder this time.

"Yeah, ok. I'm coming," Mandy answers, handing her gun to Mickey.

Mickey disappears briefly to hide the guns and returns to the living room. He nods the ok for Mandy to open the door.

"Hello, Ms. Milkovich," Detective Dupree greets.

"Detective. Told you, you can call me Mandy," she replies. She then notices Dupree is with his other officers, Jameson and Cortez, along with Iggy and Colin. "What the hell? What's going on?"

"Maybe it's best if we speak inside."

"Yeah, of course," she says, holding the door open for them.

It's when Detective Dupree walks in that Mickey realizes he's wearing a fucking tank top, and that he has four bites total from his vampire boyfriend for all the world to see. He's about to try to make a quick getaway to his room and throw on a proper shirt when Dupree calls his name.

"Milkovich, where are you hea-" Dupree cuts himself off, noticing Mickey's ravaged neck. "What the fuck?"

"I can explain."

"You better."

"Um, ok, see, what happened was…" Mickey stammers.

"If the fanger that did this is the same one picking off the residents of the south side-"

"He's not!"

"He?" Dupree asks abruptly.

_Fuck_, Mickey thinks. He just inadvertently outed himself. Whatever, it's not like the rest of the neighborhood didn't already know. "Yes, _he_. Is that really such a goddamn surprise?"

Detective Dupree shrugs. "Actually, no."

"Excuse me," Jameson cuts in. "Can we get back to why you have vampire bites all over your neck?"

Mickey breathes an exasperated sigh. "I'm seeing someone, alright? He's a vampire, he bites me sometimes."

Jameson scoffs. "And you didn't think to mention you're dating a vampire because…?"

"Because he's not the vampire you're looking for."

"And who is?" Dupree asks.

"I don't know."

"Why don't I believe that?"

Jameson's partner, Cortez, has been silent since they entered the house, but finally speaks up. "Alright, why doesn't everyone just calm down? Mickey, your brothers are here with us because we have something very important to discuss with all of you. And if the vampire you're associated with is here, we'd like to speak with him as well."

"He's not." Mickey says firmly.

A low chuckle comes from the darkened hallway.

"You never told me you were such a bad liar, Mick." It's Ian.

"The hell are you doing up?" Mickey gripes, rubbing at his crinkled eyebrows.

"I woke him," Nika answers, emerging beside Ian.

"Another vampire friend of yours?" Dupree asks.

Mickey ignores his question though. "You're up too?"

"She sensed I was in danger," Svetlana answers, turning off the stove. "From the blood bond."

"You're not in any danger," Cortez is quick to point out, but Svetlana and the Milkoviches give him an unconvinced look. "What, you trust vampires more than the police department?"

"Yes," the group answers in unison.

"Oh, alright, _Mickey_" Dupree continues, "you're brothers would like to tell you something. See if you still trust vampires after you've heard what they have to say." Dupree turns his gaze on the older pair of Milkovich brothers who've made themselves quiet and comfortable on their couch.

Surprisingly, Colin is the first to speak. "We'd just got into work. We were about to clock in, change, and drive up with everyone else to finish cleaning up that pizza place they just tore down…" Colin trails off and fiddles with the loose seams of his jeans.

Iggy continues for his brother. "But we didn't. We got into work, but no one was around. And Emil's a hardass boss. He never lets it slide when someone's late, so he sure as shit wouldn't be." Iggy runs his hand through his hair, trying to dispel his anxiety. "We go into the room where they have our lockers set up, and they're all just… they're dead. They had some blood on them, but not much. And they had vampire bites."

"We found Emil in his office," Colin adds.

"Jesus…" Mickey swears. He closes his eyes momentarily, and shakes his head, hoping this is all a nightmare and that it'll go away. It doesn't.

"It seems everytime people turn up dead, killed by vamps, you all have something to do with it," Dupree indicates. "You wanna tell me why some fanger is targeting your family, Mickey?"

Mickey refuses to answer, and instead crosses his arms over his chest.

"Look, Mickey, we're trying to help you here." Dupree's tone is pleading. "You gotta give me something."

"I believe I have the answers you want, Detective," Ian says, still covered by the shadows in the hallway with Nika. The window in the living room is covered with multiple curtains, but Ian and Nika feel safer in the darkness of the hallway.

"Who are you?" Dupree asks.

"Ian. Ian Gallagher." He gestures with his head at Nika. "And this is Nika, my vampire sister."

"Well, I'm listening."

Ian retells his story once more to the detective and his officers. Nika tries to interrupt Ian a few times, tries to get him to not divulge too much information to cops - to humans they don't even know. Ian is undeterred though. He has to tell them everything he knows to ensure any chance of protecting himself, and everyone else, from Jimmy. He has to make sure the people he cares for are kept safe. His family was ripped away from him once - he won't let that happen again. Ian is certain of it. He'll do whatever it takes.

When Ian is done, Dupree shifts uncomfortably from side to side as if he's unsure of what to say. Finally, he gives Ian a rueful chuckle and says, "Christ, you've had a rough life, kid."

"I'm not a kid," Ian replies.

"No, I guess you're not."

"So, what now?" Mandy asks. "You heard Ian. This Jimmy is a murdering, vampire freak!"

"Well, for starters, you're all to stay here, in this house. No one comes, no one goes."

"So, we're on an unofficial house arrest?" Colin whines. "I mean, that makes sense at night, but what about during the day?" His siblings give him a look like they're surprised he actually said something smart for once. "What? I pay attention sometimes."

"No, absolutely not. You're to stay in this house until I say otherwise. Jameson and Cortez will keep watch from their car, as well as make rounds through the streets looking for Jimmy and any other suspicious characters he might be working with."

Mickey scoffs. "Suspicious characters? In _this_ neighborhood? Good luck with that."

"I still don't get the daytime house arrest thing," Colin reminds them.

"What, you didn't wonder how the girls in the dumpster were found in the afternoon and not in the morning?" Dupree asks.

"Huh?"

"A human…" Nika whispers.

Dupree nods knowingly. "That's right."

"So, Jimmy is not working with other vampires. He is working with a human?" Svetlana questions.

"How else would those bodies be moved into the dumpster during the day? A vampire definitely didn't do that."

"Who the fuck is stupid enough to be doing this Jimmy guy's dirty work?" Iggy wonders.

"That's what we intend to find out," Dupree vows. "Now, I have to go talk to some more witnesses. Jameson and Cortez will be around if you need them for anything."

Mandy sees the officers to the door. When she turns around, she only has one thing to say, "Fuck… the hell are we gonna do?"

"They're not going to catch him," Ian asserts. "There's nothing to do except wait until Jimmy decides to show up."

"Ian, we need to rest," Nika interrupts. "The bleeds have started." Nika reaches up to Ian's ear and wipes the blood dripping from his ear canal with her thumb. She rubs at her own ear, and eyes, and sure enough there is blood dripping there as well.

"Shit, what the hell is happening to you two?" Mickey asks.

"It's nothing," Ian reassures. "We'll be fine once we go back to sleep. Vampires aren't supposed to be up during the day. If we are, well, then we start bleeding out from our eyes, ears, and nose. Good times."

Svetlana returns Nika to their room as Mickey takes Ian back to theirs.

"You got any tissues?" Ian asks once in Mickey's room.

Mickey nods and grabs the box of kleenex from the top of one of his drawers and holds it out to Ian. The vampire takes a few and wipes off the blood from his face and ears. Mickey stares at Ian while he does, thinking. His life has changed so much since meeting the vampire. He supposes it'll only change further the longer they know each other. How exactly, or when, Mickey is not certain. That definitely scares him, but Mickey also finds that he doesn't want to go back to the way things were before. Things may have made more sense then, they may have been easier, but if it means not having Ian in his life, then Mickey doesn't want to go back. He wants go forward - with Ian.

"I don't need a vampire power to know you're thinking of something," Ian states, aware the whole time Mickey's had his eyes locked on him. "What is it?"

"I just… nothin'."

Ian giggles. "_Such_ a bad liar."

"I can lie!" Mickey protests. "It's just… not that easy when it's about you."

"So, tell me what's on your mind, Mick."

"Tonight, promise. Get some sleep. Don't want you bleeding anymore."

"That makes two of us," Ian replies.

Ian swoops in closer to Mickey, tugging at his waist to pull him in for a kiss. Mickey leans up to meet Ian's lips. It's open mouthed, but no tongue, sensual and soft. The kiss doesn't last longer than a minute, but by the time Ian and Mickey are pulling apart, they're almost completely out of breath. They rest their foreheads together momentarily before Ian tries to meet Mickey's lips once more.

"Go to sleep or we'll be doing this all day," Mickey says with a laugh.

"I don't mind," Ian counters, grinning.

"_Ian_."

"Fine," Ian whines. "You better make tonight worth it."

"Don't I always?" Mickey replies cheekily.

When Ian is resting back under the bed, Mickey rejoins his siblings in the living room.

"Sorry about your neck," Iggy remarks, "and you're ass."

Mickey flips him off. He sits down at the table again to eat the pancakes Svetlana made for him. Mickey watches her briefly as she takes a seat to eat her own plate of pancakes. If Svetlana notices Mickey's eye's on her, she doesn't say anything.

"Does it… do you feel anything?"

Svetlana looks up from her plate, but waits for Mickey to clarify.

"The blood bond. Do you feel different… afterwards?"

"No," Svetlana says easily. "You feel it when you drink from them, but you won't feel anything after, except in your dreams and when you wake up."

"Does it hurt?"

"No."

"Mick, are you thinking of… y'now…" Mandy trails off, the question weighing in heavy silence.

"Maybe… I don't know." He waits for either of his brothers to object, but they don't.

"Don't look at us, man," Colin says from the living room. "You do what you gotta do."

Iggy doesn't say anything at all, but gives Mickey his silent approval with a shrug.

"He will be able to sense _everything_ you are feeling," Svetlana reminds him.

"I know."

"And you are alright with this?"

"Not really," Mickey says honestly, "but I don't have a good feeling about anything that's goin' on right now. I'd just feel better knowing that if something happened, Ian could sense it."

"That's actually kinda sweet, Mickey," Mandy says. "And smart."

"Shut up."

"When do you plan on doing this?" Svetlana asks.

"Tonight."

* * *

When Bethany Jameson and Ruben Cortez decided to become police officers, neither of them thought they'd end up babysitting a house full of Milkoviches and their more than questionable taste in friends.

The pair of officers were making another round through the neighborhood in the early evening. Through out the day, they checked in on their charges, drove through the streets, asked questions they already asked to people they already asked them to, returned to the Milkovich house, and repeated their routine. It was a cycle. One that grew old fast. The worst part of it was that they couldn't even go to their own homes to have a decent meal. And admittedly, the Korean take-out they bought tasted pretty good, as far as take-out food went, but they'd been eating out of cardboard boxes long enough. And if they were being completely honest with themselves, by the end of the day, they weren't sure if they were restless or afraid, or some combination of both.

It had been a stressful few months since the killings started. And it seemed the more answers the officers received, the more they realized how little they knew. Now, with the information Ian had given them, their anxieties intensified. It was only a matter of time before Jimmy fully came into the picture, and they could only hope they would be ready for him when he did.

"This is so not in our job description," Jameson grouses from the driver's seat.

"Pretty sure stake outs _are_ in our job description," Cortez replies sarcastically.

"You know what I mean," Jameson continues, turning a corner. "Vampires? Fucking vampires, really? They weren't even _out_, or whatever, when we were assigned to be partners."

"It is what it is, Jameso- holy shit!" Cortez cut himself off. "Is that a fucking fire?"

"It's coming from the Milkovich house!" Jameson exclaimed, stepping on the gas pedal.

* * *

When Ian wakes, he finds Mickey lying on the bed waiting for him. Neither of them say anything as Ian crawls up next to Mickey, their eyes making contact instantly. Mickey runs a hand down the side of Ian's face, placing a delicate kiss on his forehead.

The beguiling gesture catches Ian a bit by surprise, and he asks, "What's up with you? You said you'd tell me."

Mickey stays silent briefly, scanning the constellations on Ian's face. "I wanna do it. I wanna have a blood bond with you."

Ian sits up slowly. "Are you sure?"

"Been thinking about it all day," Mickey confesses, sitting up with Ian.

"You wanna do this now?"

"Right now. It doesn't take long, does it?"

"Well, no…"

"Then yea," Mickey reaffirms. "I just think it's a good idea, what with everything going on right now."

"I don't want you to do this because you feel obligated," Ian says warily.

"I don't," Mickey reassures. "I mean, that's not the only reason. I want to."

Ian remains slightly unconvinced. He doesn't want to push Mickey into something he isn't ready to commit to.

"Ian, I _want_ to," Mickey repeats emphatically.

At length, Ian replies, "Alright, ok."

"Ok… so how does this work?"

"All you have to do is take a few gulps of my blood, and that's kinda it."

Mickey nods. "Alright, let's do it."

Ian extends his fangs then, and brings his left wrist up to his mouth. He bites down hard. When his blood starts to flow from the bite, he offers his wrist up to Mickey. He waits appropriately for Mickey to take his wrist when Mickey is willing.

Mickey takes a few quick breaths before he opens his mouth to swallow down the crimson liquid. He's certainly never drank anyone's blood before, and he's not quite sure what he expected, but the taste is somehow still different than what he thought it'd be. It's coppery, sure, but it's also altogether something… _else_. Something that makes his tongue and throat and body tingle. It feels like his entire being was asleep before, and Ian's blood is sparking new life into the very fiber of his being. Mickey holds Ian's wrist steady with both his hands as he continues to guzzle down the vital fluid. He can understand now why there's such a huge drug market for vampire blood. Too much could turn one into an addict.

When Ian pulls his wrist away, Mickey nearly whines. Ian chuckles lightly and rubs the back of Mickey's neck. "How do you feel?"

"Holy shit…" Mickey gasps, licking his lips. "I mean, now, I don't feel much, but…"

"Really? You don't feel anything at all?"

Mickey furrows his brows in confusion.

Ian glances down at Mickey's lap and a coquettish smirk spreads across his face.

When Mickey looks down, his cheeks redden immediately.

Ian's hand is on Mickey's dick instantly and he whispers seductively, "Because I think you're feeling… hard."

Mickey sucks in his lips as Ian grips him pleasurably through his jeans. "That the effects of the blood bond?"

"I don't need a blood bond with you to know when you're horny, Mick."

"Then why are you still talking?"

With his hand already healed, Ian unzips Mickey's jeans quickly and palms his erection. He gently pushes Mickey down on the bed with his other hand and begins to jerk him off slowly. Mickey arches his back as his left hand finds Ian's dick. He slides his hand past the waistband of the boxers Ian borrowed and starts tugging at Ian's cock at the same pace. Before long, their speed increases, as does their breathing. They moan into each other's ears, the sounds of desire muffled by the crooks of their necks. Ian's fangs are still extended. He nips along Mickey's neck, always careful not to break the skin. That does it for Mickey. The only warning he gives before he comes is his right hand grasping at Ian's bicep. Ian soon follows him over the edge, adding to the sticky mess Mickey already made.

As they come down from their high, Ian retracts his fangs so he can kiss Mickey properly. Mickey melts into it, smiling against Ian's lips.

"Can _you_ feel anything?" Mickey asks when he pulls away.

Ian gives him a half grin before answering. "I feel happy." He pauses a moment before he continues. "Sorry about all the biting last night. I shouldn't have. Did you eat enough today?"

"Svetlana made me breakfast, man," Mickey answers, huffing out a laugh. "She even gave me some vitamins."

"Good, it's important to keep your strength up after that many bites. I'll try not to-"

"I'm fine, Ian," Mickey cuts off, "Sometimes I think you're too good to be a vampire."

"I take offense to that," Ian proclaims. "Just because I'm a vampire doesn't mean I'm an animal. Anyway, I do have my bad moments…"

"I think you're making too big a deal of the whole biting issue," Mickey admits.

"There's a reason I don't like to drink from humans more than I have to, Mickey. If a vampire can't control their thirst, it can get out of hand. We can lose control. Most of us do. I don't want to lose control - especially with you."

Mickey smiles at Ian like he wonders what he must have done in a past life or something to deserve someone who respects him this much. "C'mon, me and everyone else worked out a plan to lure Jimmy out of wherever the hell he's hiding."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea."

"We had to do something while we were stuck here all day," Mickey grumbles. "Besides, we're tired of waiting for him. If he shows up on our terms, we'll have advantage."

"Alright," Ian concedes. "Sound like you've thought this out pretty well."

With that, Ian and Mickey finally leave the bed. Mickey changes into a fresh clean pair of boxers and jeans and let's Ian borrow yet another pair of underwear. He also loans him a shirt that's always been too big for Mickey to wear.

Before they exit the room, Mickey stops in front of the dresser where his photo of his mother is placed. For some reason, he's compelled to take the photo out of the frame. He stares at it silently as Ian comes up behind him.

"What was her name?" Ian asks.

"Maryska. She's Ukrainian."

"You didn't tell me you're Ukrainian."

"You didn't tell me where you got the tattoo," Mickey points out.

"Oh c'mon. It's a freakin' eagle sitting on a rifle. Got it in the army; didn't think I had to tell you that one." Like the previous night, Ian can't help but see how much Mickey and Mandy look like their mother. "Y'know, your brothers don't look like you or your mom."

"Iggy and Colin are technically half-brothers. Different moms," Mickey answers. "Terry was two-timing their mom with ours. She split once she found out my mom was pregnant with me. From what my brothers have told me, though, she was never around much to begin with." Mickey smiles fondly at the photo in his hand. "Maryska was, though. She took care of Iggy and Colin long before I was even born. Looked after them while their mom was getting fucked out on drugs. She always treated them like they were her own. They may as well have been. I mean, _fuck_, they even called her mom." Mickey sighs heavily and tucks the photo into his back pocket and turns to Ian, a solemn look upon his face. "There's no fucking way my mom would have died with a needle stuck in her arm."

"You really don't believe she killed herself, do you?"

"Fuck no."

Ian cradles Mickey's head in his large hands, soothingly rubbing circles on Mickey's cheeks with his thumbs. Mickey closes his eyes momentarily, losing himself in Ian's comforting motions. He opens his eyes when he feels Ian's lips peck him on his cheek.

"C'mon," Ian says, gesturing with his head to the door.

Mickey follows Ian into the living room, joining the others.

"You look good as new," Mandy comments.

"What?" Mickey asks in confusion.

Mandy giggles and presents her brother with a small makeup mirror. "See for yourself."

Mickey takes the mirror and notices all his bite marks have disappeared. He looks over at Ian for clarification; he was kind of getting used to all the bites on his neck. He rather liked it truthfully.

"Vampire blood heals, remember?" Ian says.

"So, you did not tell your human about claiming?" Svetlana interrupts.

"Oh, yeah," Mickey recalls. "What is that?"

"Don't call him _my human_," Ian replies to Svetlana, almost in a commanding voice. "You know I hate that claiming shit."

"Is anyone gonna tell us what the fuck _claiming_ is?"

"Don't listen to her, Mick," Ian says. "A human with bites on their neck signifies they belong to a vampire. If they don't want bites on their neck, they have to accept presents from their vampire lovers, like clothes, or jewelry, or even a car. And their whole reasoning behind this is that it'll keep _their_ humans safe from other vampires. It's just this antiquated custom vampires use as an excuse to treat humans like their property."

Nika scoffs. "I do not own Sveta."

"Well, it's different with you two. You don't claim her the same way another vampire would claim a human."

"I don't get it," Mandy interjects. "Since neither of you define claiming in the traditional sense, how is that any different than when two humans get together?"

"It just is," Ian persists before turning to Mickey. "I don't own you, Mickey. You're not _mine_. Not in that way."

Mickey stares on at Ian. "I know," he says at length. "For a vampire you sure don't think like one."

The room is silent with Ian and Mickey gazing at each other in that familiar way they do when they forget there are other people in the room.

"Well, this has been real sweet," Iggy interrupts.

"And educational," Colin adds.

"But are we gonna catch us a killer vamp, or what?"

Ian laughs. "So, what's this plan?"

Unfortunately, Ian would never receive the opportunity to hear this plan, let alone carry it out with his new, unorthodox family. Before anyone can get a word out, a loud _boom_ sounds through out the house.


	9. Revelator

**Chapter 9: Revelator**

* * *

**Notes:** Revelator: _n_. One who reveals.

* * *

Mickey doesn't know how he ended up on the floor with a ringing in his ears. When he opens his eyes, his vision is blurred, and as he tries to sit up, he's hit with a heavy case of vertigo. He props himself up with one hand while the other grips at his pounding head. The headache's not that bad though, and he can feel pain through out his body. It's not enough that he thinks it's fatal. That's good. It means he probably doesn't have any serious injuries. Mickey blinks several times, willing his vision to return. Gradually, things come into focus.

The house is clouded with smoke, and there are some small fires burning. Mickey looks about the devastated room and spots Mandy on the kitchen floor, lying beneath the table. Nika and Svetlana are sprawled near the back door. Mickey crawls over to his sister as quickly as he can. He coughs a few times as he tries to speak.

"Mandy…" Mickey manages. He shakes his sister by the shoulder gingerly. "Mandy, c'mon, get up."

Slowly, Mandy comes to. "What the fuck…?"

"Move your ass, we gotta find everyone else and get out."

"Where are Iggy and Colin?" Mandy asks, sitting up and gripping her head much like Mickey did.

"I don't know."

"Fuck… Iggy! Colin!" Mandy calls out.

"I'm over here!" Iggy answers by the front door.

Nika and Svetlana recover consciousness shortly. They help each other to their feet as Mickey helps Mandy to hers. Iggy gets up too, holding onto his left arm; it's probably dislocated. They look about the house. The smoke is clearing. Whatever bomb went off must not have been that destructive since they're still alive and breathing. But then it hits them. Someone just tried to blow the house up, with them inside - and Ian and Colin are still missing.

"Is Ian alright?" Nika asks.

"I don't know where he is," Mickey answers frantically.

A low moan comes from the living room. There's a heap of rubble in front of the couch that used to be the coffee table. It seems as though there is someone underneath.

Mickey rushes towards it. He hauls the shattered pieces of wood off and sure enough finds Ian. Nika and Svetlana hurry to their side.

Blood dribbles from Ian's mouth as he tries to speak. Ian is hurt badly. One of the table's legs has broken off and is ironically protruding up from Ian's chest. Luckily, it's not too deep, and it's far enough from his heart that he won't die. Even so, the wound is harmful enough that he won't heal as quickly as he needs to right now.

"Oh, fuck…" Mickey curses. "Ian? Ian, can you hear me?"

Ian groans through the pain of trying to find words. He finally opens his eyes and nods slowly up at Mickey. "You have to take it out…" His voice comes out weak and faint. Mickey doesn't need to ask anything; though greatly injured, Ian can sense his question through the effects of their blood bond. "It's ok, I won't die."

"He will need blood," Nika says.

Mickey nods tensely, and brings his left wrist to Ian's mouth.

"No!" Ian protests. "I already drank too much from you the other night. I'll be fine, promise."

"Shut the fuck up and let us save you, you stupid fucking vampire," Mickey barks.

Nika pulls out the piece of wood from Ian's chest at the same time Mickey brings his wrist to Ian once more. Instinctively, Ian's fangs pop out and clamp down on Mickey's wrist. Mickey grimaces through the pain. All the other times Ian had bitten him he'd been distracted from the pain by their fucking. Now he feels it; and it's not fun.

As his brother and Nika are tending to Ian, Iggy at last finds Colin slumped in a sitting position next to the demolished television.

"Mandy," Iggy calls, "get over here!"

"Fuck… is he ok?"

"Fucking fantastic…" Colin grumbles. "This is just like when we played hide and seek. Always found last 'cause you assholes forgot about me…"

"Oh, my god… Iggy, look," Mandy says, placing a hand over her mouth and eyes going wide.

A large shard of glass from the smashed television is stuck at the side of Colin's abdomen.

Svetlana staggers over to the three siblings, and calls to her girlfriend. "Nika! Hurry, he does not have much time."

"What are you gonna do to him?" Iggy asks. "You're not gonna fucking turn him, are you?"

"No," Nika reassures him, "but that glass needs to be removed, and when it is, he will bleed out and die. The only way to save your brother's life is for him to drink enough of my blood so that his wound is healed properly."

Colin blinks wearily. "Won't that mean we'll be bonded?"

"Unfortunately… yes. But it will fade away with time."

"How much time?"

"Fuck, Colin," Iggy swears at his brother, "I don't give a shit what kind of messed up dreams you have. You're just gonna have to suck it up for however long they last. Now drink her fucking blood, you piece of shit!"

Nika bites down on her wrist. Reluctantly Colin takes it as Nika pulls out the glass. Blood gushes from his wound instantly. Mandy is quick to apply pressure since Iggy's arm is still dislocated. He returns to Mickey after Ian is healed so his brother can pop it back in. Iggy braces himself against the couch as Mickey takes hold of his left arm.

"On the count of three," Mickey says.

"Alri- _Fuck!_" Iggy shouts when Mickey pops his arm back into place abruptly. "You fucking asshole…" Iggy mutters curses under his breath before turning back to everyone around Colin. "How's he doin' over there?"

Mandy lifts her hands from where they'd been pressing down. As Nika had said, the gash is fully healed. "He's good," Mandy calls over her shoulder, and returns her attention to Colin. "Can you get up?"

"Yeah, I think so," Colin answers as Mandy helps him to his feet. He looks at Nika awkwardly. "Uh… thanks."

Nika glances down before her eyes settle back on Colin, and giggles. "No problem."

When Mandy sees what Nika and Svetlana are snickering about she gasps. "Oh, my god, Colin! Really?"

"Don't worry about it," Mickey says as Ian swipes his thumb across a fang to heal Mickey's wrist with his blood. "Same thing happened to me."

"Did not need to know that," Iggy states, rotating his arm around in the socket.

Another smaller, explosion goes off in the kitchen. It was the oven.

"Is that gas?" Iggy asks alarmed, sniffing the air.

There's a beat of silence before Mickey breaks it. "Let's get the fuck outta here."

* * *

At the warehouse Mickey briefly worked at Jorge De la Rosa is finishing up another day at work.

He's closing up, locking up what needs to be locked up; and he's the only one there. Jorge recently found out Mickey wasn't the only one on his staff who was involved with vampires. And as a result of his bigoted beliefs, he fired them as well. The catch, though, was that he now had to do three times the work he previously had; and it fucking sucks. He wasn't sure why the hell everyone was so eager to get in the sack with a vamp, but if it meant he was going to keep losing his employees, he was certain he wouldn't have many people left to employ at all. Jorge had even called up one of the guys he fired that day, asking if he'd found another job yet. And he had to admit, he wanted to call Mickey up too. Mickey was good at the job, but Jorge was hesitant. After all, Mickey did punch him in the fucking nose.

Jorge sighed defeatedly as he took his phone out from his pocket.

Before he could dial a single number, though, he was hit in the back of the head with a blunt object.

* * *

Detective Dupree pulls up to a warehouse Mickey said he had previously worked at. He wasn't sure what information he was going to get out of Mickey's old boss, if any at all, but after a day of following dead end leads, he was hoping he wouldn't come up dry again. Little did he know, he wouldn't.

When Dupree steps out of his vehicle, he notices the area is surprisingly quiet. And well, maybe that's not so odd since he's visiting the warehouse at a later hour, but something doesn't sit right in his gut. He knows it's better to be safe than sorry, though. He goes around to the side entrance, and realizes it's still unlocked. Dupree draws his pistol and steps into the warehouse quietly.

There are noises, grunts, as if someone is fighting, coming from inside. Dupree follows them, and finds two men grappling with one another fiercely. One of the men gains the advantage and pins his opponent to the ground, wailing relentlessly on the other man.

"Chicago PD!" Dupree yells, aiming his gun on the attacker. "Put your hands where I can see 'em!"

The man freezes and looks at Dupree. His face is hidden in the shadows of the night and unlit room.

"I said put your hands up!" Dupree yells again and then muttering under his breath, "Don't run, don't run, don't run."

Of course, the man runs. Dupree fires a few shots. They all miss his target. Dupree curses how dark it is there. He runs to the other man lying on the ground in agony. He would've chased after the other one if the one before him wasn't in more immediate need right now.

"You alright?" Dupree asks.

The man flinches in response and tries to crawl away.

"Hey, man, you're fine now," Dupree reassures. "What's your name?"

"Jorge…" It comes out a strangled groan.

"Alright, ok. Jorge, I'm gonna call the ambulance. You're going to be ok."

* * *

Just as Ian and Mickey and the rest of the group reach the street, the house goes up in flames.

They look around at each other, completely dumbstruck, and then stare at the growing fires. There's a strange silence hanging among them. Without breaking his gazes on the burning house, Mickey takes Ian's hand into his own. Ian gives him a gentle squeeze, grounding Mickey so his mind doesn't drift too far off.

Mandy sighs unevenly and shed's a single tear. "I hated that fucking house anyways."

Her brothers turn to her, snapped out of their reverie.

"It's not like we had that much important shit either," Colin adds.

"We should leave while we can," Ian advises.

Again, their plans are thwarted when a figure abruptly appears before them, standing in front of the burning house.

"Hello, Ian."

He says it so casually, and it happened so quickly, Ian doesn't know how to react. Ian thinks he's just losing his mind again, maybe worse than when he was human and sick. It has to be an apparition. It has to be. It _has_ to be.

"It's rude to not say hello back."

Beside Ian, Mickey asks lowly, "Is that… is that-"

"Hi, there," the man, or rather vampire, greets Mickey. He _swooshes_ right up to him and extends a hand. "I'm Jimmy Lishman. We haven't properly met yet."

Ian does lose it then. He tackles Jimmy to the ground, using every ounce of his vampiric strength he can.

Jimmy has the audacity to laugh, and easily captures Ian's fists with his hands. "How about that? I try to introduce myself to your boyfriend, and I'm met with hostility. C'mon, Ian. It's been such a long time. Let's catch up." Jimmy violently throws Ian off himself as if Ian weighed nothing more than a feather. Ian lands several feet away in the middle of the street.

It is Nika who next tries to pounce on Jimmy, barring her fangs. There's no use. Jimmy catches her by the throat and sends her flying through the air. She lands on a car, shattering the front window. Svetlana is quick to aid her, as Mickey helps Ian. The other three Milkovich siblings are stunned into silence. Even now that Jimmy has made himself known, he's just playing with them. Tossing Ian and Nika around like ragged dolls. No wonder the two were so afraid of him. There is no one more dangerous than one who is of an unstable mind and possess such great power.

"What are you doing?!" Jimmy shouts. "I'm _older!_ I'm faster, and I'm stronger."

"Yet it was almost too easy when I killed your dad," Ian hisses, rising to his feet and extending his fangs. "Especially since you weren't there to protect him. He was pathetic as you are cowardly."

Jimmy laughs again, throwing his head back as he does so. "You know, Ian… I get that Lip was always the smart one…"

Ian's glare intensifies at the mention of one of his siblings.

"But I would've thought you'd know better by now." Jimmy shrugs. "Good thing you're pretty… though not like Fiona."

Ian readies himself for another attack on Jimmy, only to freeze on the spot when he feels Mickey's hand catch him firmly by his wrist. Ian looks down at his hand, then slowly looks up to meet Mickey's blue eyes. His eyes look brighter tonight, illuminated by the flames from the house.

"Don't."

It's barely muttered, but it's enough to keep Ian from snapping again. He straightens his posture and returns his gaze to Jimmy.

"Wow, you must really love him," Jimmy says. There's a brief expression of genuine fondness that passes over Jimmy's face before it's replaced with a sinister visage. "I never wanted to kill you, Ian. I wanted to make you suffer. Why else do you think I went after your family instead of you? Does your heart ache with the memory of all those you failed to protect?" Jimmy pauses and smiles wickedly at Ian. "I'm going to kill everyone you love _again_."

"Not this time, Jimmy."

Jimmy is almost taken aback by the finality in Ian's voice. "Not _tonight_," he corrects as the sound of sirens approach. "I'll be seeing you." And as swiftly as he appeared, Jimmy is gone again, leaving Ian and the rest of the group to the police car pulling up.

Jameson and Cortez exit their vehicle promptly. Their pistols are drawn, but they're not certain what or where their target is.

Cortez glances at the fire and turns to his charges. "What the fuck happened?!"

* * *

"_What do you mean the house burned down?!_" Dupree yells over the receiver. "_You were supposed to protect them!_"

Jameson winches and pulls her phone further away from her ear. "They're ok. A little smoke inhalation, but otherwise they're fine."

"_Where the fuck were you?_"

"Making rounds through the neighborhood just like you ordered, sir. Jimmy attacked while we were away."

"_Jesus_…" Dupree swears, massaging the wrinkles on his forehead. "_Is there any other place they can stay? Seems like this whole thing was some fucked up way for Jimmy to pop in and say hello._"

"Uh, yes, it appears he likes to make an entrance," Jameson concedes timidly. "And yes, they have a place to stay, though, it doesn't offer better protection. Some tiny, shitty apartment Svetlana has."

"_It's certainly better than nothing. And stay with them this time. My fault for ordering you to leave them in the first place. Send me the address and I'll meet you when I can._"

"Is everything ok?"

"_Don't know yet,_" Dupree answers. "_Was checking up on a lead when I found some guy getting the crap kicked out of him. I'm at the hospital with him now, waiting to question him._"

"Alright, I'll send you the address when we get there." Jameson hangs up.

"Well, how bad is it?" Cortez asks.

"Could be a lot worse," Jameson admits. She takes her blonde hair out of its tight bun and runs a hand through it several times before turning to her wards. "Lead the way, I guess."

The group disperses into their two cars with the officers following behind in theirs. This time, though, Mickey rides alongside Ian. The action doesn't go unnoticed by his siblings.

* * *

They arrive shortly. Ian and the officers are first to exit their vehicles. When determined safe, the rest of the company join them. Hand in hand Svetlana and Nika lead the others up to the apartment. It's barely ten during mid-summer, and they all just nearly got roasted inside a house, but there's still a shiver running up everyone's spine. Nika gently squeezes her girlfriend's hand, sensing Svetlana's growing discomfort. The gesture brings a small smile to Svetlana's lips, renewing her with confidence and trust. She disengages from Nika's hand to unlock the door.

"You and Mickey can take the other room," Svetlana says to Ian as they all enter. "I am sorry, everyone else will have to stay in the living room."

"I call dibs on the couch," Mandy declares.

"How's that fair?" Colin asks. "I nearly died like half an hour ago."

"But you _didn't_."

Mickey smirks a bit at his siblings and then feels in need of a shower. Ever since meeting Ian, he's found himself cleaning up more. Not necessarily because he feels the need to impress Ian, but because he seems to be getting into all sorts of messes these days.

Placing a hand on the middle of Mickey's back, he turns to Svetlana and asks, "Think we can use your shower now?"

Mickey raises his eyebrow, a little weirded out by how much more Ian is able to read him, but also impressed. "We?"

Ian glances at Mickey and smirks. He doesn't respond though.

"You all can as long as you save hot water for everyone," Svetlana answers. "And Ian, don't fuck him in it."

"No promises."

Svetlana shoots Ian a pointed look.

"Alright, alright. Jesus," Ian says, holding his hands up in mock surrender.

Ian and Mickey retreat to the small but well kept bathroom. Sadly, they don't fuck in it.

* * *

After all their guests have finished their turns in the shower, Nika and Svetlana take theirs. Svetlana turns the bath on and is pleasantly surprised there is still hot water left. She pours some scented bath bubbles into the bath as Nika begins to remove her grimy clothes.

"This is absolutely disgusting," Nika grumbles, tossing her clothes onto the floor.

"But you are still beautiful," Svetlana says, smiling at her girlfriend. She rises from the edge of the tub and walks over to Nika, who helps Svetlana undress. She cradles Nika's face with her hands lovingly. There's dirt and ash smudged all over Nika's face, as there probably is on her own, but Svetlana is more certain now than ever that she never wants to be without Nika. She knows she wants to be at Nika's side forever.

"I know what you are thinking," Nika says, as if she needs to.

"I am thinking we should get in the bath before the water turns cold."

Nika frowns, but manages to be affectionate as she does so. She lets Svetlana guide her into the tub. They settle into the warm water and bubbles, a delicate scent of lavender now lingering in the room. Svetlana lies down in the bath with Nika's back pressed against her chest. It hasn't been too long since they've been able to do this, but for some reason time feels like it has stretched on farther recently.

Svetlana sighs contently as she wraps her arms around her girlfriend. "Have you given thought to what we talked about?"

"You know where I stand. It is not the right time."

"Then when will it be?"

"Soon."

"How soon?"

Nika giggles softly. "When my idiot brother gets his shit together."

"Who knows when that will be," Svetlana groans. "I have never seen him like this before. Like, he is in love. Do you think he will turn him?"

"Maybe. I just want him to be happy for once."

"So do I," Svetlana agrees. "And I want you to be happy too."

"You make me happy."

"All the more reason to turn me."

Nika laughs again. "I will. I swear it. I want nothing more than to always be with you."

"And I with you," Svetlana whispers into Nika's ear. She cups Nika's chin gently and turns her head back to kiss her. It's slow but firm. Soon Svetlana tries to pry Nika's mouth open with her tongue, only for Nika to pull away suddenly.

"I thought you said we are not allowed to fuck in the tub."

"_We_ can," Svetlana answered. "And we have before anyway. Everyone else, absolutely not."

Nika presses her lips back on Svetlana's and smiles against her mouth. This time she allows Svetlana's tongue to push past her parted lips and massages it with her own. Svetlana moves her hand from Nika's chin down her chest and sinks below the surface of the bubbled water. Nika detaches from Svetlana's mouth again and gasps as her fangs extend. She guides Svetlana's other hand to her breasts, writhing against her girlfriend, the water turning to passionate waves.

Resting her head on Svetlana's shoulder now Nika reaches back between Svetlana's legs. Svetlana releases a moan against Nika's ear. It was not meant to be as loud as it was but bathrooms always do carry sound more than they should.

"Are you trying to get us caught?" Nika asks in a mildly harsh whisper.

"They don't care, why should we?" Svetlana replies before covering Nika's mouth again with her own. Maybe that will keep them from making too much noise.

Their moaning _is_ stifled by their fervent kissing, but the splashing of the water only increases. Nika extricates herself from Svetlana and unplugs the drain of the tub with vampiric speed. She turns the shower head on and stands up, beckoning Svetlana to do the same. As the water in the tub washes down the drain Nika tenderly pushes Svetlana against the tile wall and kneels in front of her. Instinctually Svetlana drapes a leg over Nika's shoulder as Nika licks a trail up Svetlana's thigh. She lightly drags her fangs along the same path as she presses two fingers inside her girlfriend. When Nika begins sliding her fingers in and out of Svetlana and moving her thumb in a circular motion she pierces Svetlana's thigh with her fangs.

Svetlana releases another ragged moan, no longer caring if anyone in their apartment hears them. Throwing her head back against the wall Svetlana closes her eyes so the water raining down doesn't blind her. Her hands find Nika's head and maneuvers her mouth to join Nika's fingers. Svetlana chews on her bottom lip as her moment of release begins to approach. Nika reaches down between her own legs with her other hand as she finishes Svetlana off. Svetlana begins chanting Nika's name along with muttering low curses in Russian. Before long her orgasm shudders through her whole body leaving her skin tingled, though that might just be from the now cold water. When Nika reaches her own climax she bites down on Svetlana's thigh again.

Nika pulls off Svetlana's thigh and snakes up her girlfriend's wet slicked body. She pauses at Svetlana's breasts to suck on her nipples briefly, then kisses up her neck. Nika retracts her fangs to kiss Svetlana properly. It's slow, much slower than when they began, but there is more feeling poured into it. They break the kiss when Svetlana shivers again.

"Sorry," Nika says. "We should get out."

"It is not that bad," Svetlana answers. Still, she allows Nika to wrap them together in a large towel.

They enter their room as quietly as possible. Neither bother putting on pajamas and climb directly into their bed after they've dried off. Both Nika and Svetlana feel safe under the covers and in each other's warm, loving embrace.

Svetlana rests her head on Nika's shoulder and slings her leg over Nika's. "What about Jimmy? What will we do about him?"

"We cannot lure him out as we thought we could. We have to let him come to us, and next time we _will_ be prepared."

"You have already thought of another plan?"

"Maybe," Nika answers. "I will speak to Ian the next night. You go to sleep now."

Svetlana does as she's advised and closes her eyes. She releases a deep sigh and lets herself drift off.

* * *

The hospital room is cold. Hospitals are always cold. A fact not appreciated by Detective Dupree, especially since Jorge lost consciousness soon after Dupree found him and hasn't woken up for several hours. Dupree tugs his grey coat closer and is about to go back outside into the warm summer night for another smoke break when there's a slight movement beneath the sheets of the hospital bed. He rises from his chair in the corner and walks to the bedside. Jorge's fingers start to wriggle and he lets out a stifled moan as he comes to.

"Where the fuck am I?" Jorge asks groggily, blinking a few times. The hospital room is bright. Hospitals are always bright.

"Hey, you've been out for a bit," Dupree greets. "You're at the hospital now."

"Fuck… you're that detective. The one asking about fangers."

"Yeah, that's me. Don't worry about that right now. I'll go get a nurse. Definitely questioning you after though."

Jorge groans. "Can't fucking wait."

Dupree returns with a nurse who checks Jorge's vitals. She leaves then, and returns about half an hour later with a doctor. Neither Jorge or Dupree pay much attention to what he says. Doctors always seem to speak in a different language and never care to translate. The only thing that matters is that he said Jorge would be fine after he rests at the hospital for a couple of days. Jorge's not looking forward to the monster of a medical bill he'll be left with though. When the doctor finally leaves, Dupree is considerate enough to not jump down Jorge's throat with all the questions he has. Instead he lingers a while not really knowing how to do the whole small talk thing.

"Just ask already," Jorge interrupts when he's had enough of Dupree's awkward conversation skills. "Get it over with."

"Alright, well, just tell me what happened. Start from the beginning."

"I don't know what the fuck happened," Jorge grumbles. "One minute I'm locking up the warehouse, next minute I get hit in the back of the head and drop to my knees."

"Lucky you didn't receive any grievous injuries."

"I'm in a hospital bed, Detective."

"Getting hit anywhere on the head is pretty fucking serious. Trust me, you're lucky."

Jorge sighs. "Nah, I don't think he was trying to kill me. Not yet anyway."

"So why go after you?"

"Not sure exactly. I think he just wanted to, like, kidnap me or something."

"What the hell for?"

"Don't know. Think this has to do with all these vampire killings?"

Dupree rubs his crinkled brows as if to massage away his growing headache. "Maybe, maybe not." He remains silent for a while, trying to piece together this puzzle that's had him perplexed for so long. "Do you know the man who attacked you?"

"Yeah," Jorge answers immediately. "It was Terry Milkovich."


	10. The Devil's Eyes

**Chapter 10: The Devil's Eyes**

* * *

**Notes:** I'm finally updating this! :') For now I'll just let you get to the chapter and leave a longer note at the end.

tw for homophobic slurs towards the end

* * *

Once Dupree is finished questioning Jorge, he gets into his car and drives to the address Jameson texted him. He calls to let her know he's on the way, and is soon pulling up to the apartment building and being buzzed up.

Dupree knocks on the door and after a few moments the door opens. "Don't any of you sleep?" he asks when he sees everyone crowding around him for answers.

"Sorry, sir," Cortez apologizes. "We're all very eager to hear what you learned at the hospital."

Dupree sighs heavily. "Not a whole lot," he answers, looking over where the Milkovich siblings are huddled together - particularly Mickey. "There is one thing though."

"What?" Mickey asks. "The hell are you giving us that look for?"

It's probably better if he rips it off like a bandaid, Dupree decides. "Your Dad's back in town."

"What?" Mickey repeats, flabbergasted.

"Terry's _here_?" Mandy asks, while Iggy and Colin simultaneously mutter curses.

"Yes," Dupree confirms. "That's what Jorge, Mickey's old boss, told me. He said he was just calling it a day when Terry came out of nowhere and started beating the shit out of him. He _thinks_ Terry didn't want him dead though. I mean, he wanted to make sure Jorge wouldn't get away so he was wailing on him pretty bad, but Jorge doesn't think that Terry killing him was his immediate goal."

"Ok, well what the fuck did Terry want? Where is he?" Mickey asks, heart rate picking up considerably.

"I… don't know," Dupree says hesitantly.

"Is this in anyway related to what's going on with Jimmy?" Ian questions.

"I don't know that either."

"Fuck!" Mickey curses in frustration. "So, basically, you know jack shit!"

"I told you I didn't," Dupree reminds them. "Look, whatever this is, whatever's going on, we're gonna figure it out."

Mickey laughs ruefully then. "Who the fuck do you all think you are, seriously?"

"Mick…" Mandy tries to pacify.

"No, I wanna know. What is your end game here? You don't seem to get that you're not dealing with _people_, you're dealing with _vampires_. What do you plan to do when you catch them - _if_ you catch them?"

"I agree with him, Ian," Nika states.

Ian looks back and forth between his family and the officers, sighing and drooping his shoulders. "Fuck… Look, officer Dupree, they have a point. This isn't your area, it was never meant to be. Some of our vampire leaders believed humans were ready to know about us, but I disagree. Maybe it would be best if you let my sister and I handle things, or at least let us handle how it all ends."

"Now, wait a minute," Dupree begins. "I have a job to do. I have people I need to answer to, too. What about Terry?"

"What about him?" Iggy asks. "He might not even be connected to any of this."

"Yeah, and whether he is or isn't, you do what you need to," Colin adds. "You can have Terry. We're done with his shit. We've been done."

"You heard them," Ian continues. "We're happy to receive any details you find, but just let us do the rest."

"So, you just want to use us for information now?" Jameson asks.

"It's better this way, safer," Ian assures them.

"What do you say?" Cortez asks Dupree. "I don't see that we have too many options here."

"And I don't see that we're being given too much choice," Dupree points out. "But despite that, you might be right." He takes a pause to collect his thoughts before he goes on. "Fine, we'll help you out. We'll do this your way - the vampire way. But if any humans are helping Jimmy out, you hand them over to us. No exceptions. That clear?"

"Crystal," Ian answers, holding his hand out.

Dupree takes it, sealing their alliance and agreement.

"Well, this is just dandy, folks," Mandy remarks, "but what are we actually going to _do_ about the mess we're in?"

"Maybe we do this all wrong," Nika says, thankful she doesn't have to wait until the following night to make her thoughts known. The sooner everyone is on the same page, the sooner they can all put a stop to this madness. "Maybe we just need to let things happen."

"See how everything plays out," Ian adds.

"So, we do nothing?" Colin asks.

"Last time we were gonna try something, Jimmy was two steps ahead of us and blew up our house," Iggy reminds his brother. "I think Nika's right. Jimmy's a wildcard, we can't predict what he's gonna do next."

"Best we can all do is stay on our guard," Dupree says with finality.

* * *

The following morning was tense to say the least. Svetlana did her best to make her guests feel welcomed. She cooked them breakfast, something she hadn't known she liked doing for people, what with being around Ian and Nika for so long. In these moments, she found herself wondering what other things she could have an interest in if she decided to stay human. Maybe that would always be something she wondered about, but she could never forgive herself if she let herself wonder what a life without Nika and Ian would be like. She'd regret it too much.

Svetlana sets down a plate of eggs and a plate of bacon at the center of the table for everyone to serve themselves. There's not enough room for everyone to have a seat so the officers, along with Iggy and Colin, eat their breakfast in the living room. Everyone is tired, too anxious to have gotten a proper amount of sleep the previous night. Especially Dupree and the other officers. They still have to work this case.

"Gotta go talk to the families of the victims today," he says, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Again?" Mandy asks from beside him. "How many times do police have to bother people? Can't you just let them grieve in peace?"

Dupree sighs. "It's not like I enjoy making them feel bad, making them remember the pain of losing somebody. It's just important to be as thorough as possible."

Mickey snorts where he sits across from the detective. It earns him a prompting gaze, which Mickey indulges. "When cops keep bugging the shit out of people for info they don't have it's because you all don't know what the fuck else to do."

"Yes, it has been well established that after working on this case since the beginning, we have yet to learn much of anything," Dupree admits. "Which is why we have to keep going over anything we might have missed."

"Whatever," Mickey answers dismissively, letting the subject drop. He's even too tired to argue about this right now, and too worried. He takes a small bite of his bacon, crunching it between his teeth longer than necessary. Mickey turns to stare at the hallway that leads to the bedrooms.

"He is asleep, he is fine," Svetlana says, bringing Mickey out of his daze as he faces her. He doesn't say anything back, just tries to glare, tries to look mean, but it kind of fails. Svetlana rolls her eyes at him and stares pointedly at Mickey's half finished plate of food. He huffs loudly and resumes his meal.

The corners of Mandy's mouth turn up a little as she witnesses the scene. She clears her throat before speaking, "So, I was thinking I'd check up on Allen. See if he's gonna open the diner up again."

"I will go too," Svetlana offers.

"I don't think so," Dupree interjects.

"Not this house arrest bullshit again," Colin groans irritably from the couch.

"You're going out too?" Dupree asks, motioning between Colin and Iggy.

"We need to go back to our construction gig," Iggy answers. "We don't have the luxury of staying unemployed during all this vampire drama. 'Sides, last time we stayed put, our house kinda got torched."

"Fuck, fine. Just be as careful as possible, and call me if anything goes down."

"Got it."

"What about you?" Dupree asks Mickey. "You going out too?"

As much as Mickey would like to joke about Dupree talking like a concerned mother he holds back. "Nah, I'm staying."

"C'mon, Mickey," Mandy tries to persuade. "What, you just gonna stay here all day?"

"It's what I said, isn't it?" Mickey almost snaps. He sighs heavily before continuing. "Sorry. I just think I should stay, keep an eye on Ian. And Nika."

Svetlana knows Mickey mentions Nika mostly for her benefit. She knows Nika and Ian wouldn't go down without a fight, and that Jimmy wouldn't even be able to enter the building without being invited, but she appreciates the offer anyway. And Svetlana knows Mickey has a lot on his mind, can sense it from his quietness all morning. Most of the time she's exchanging challenging looks with Mickey, but when they meet each other's eyes this time, there's a look of understanding between them.

"I think it is good idea," Svetlana says. "Just to be safe."

"Alright," Dupree relents. "Let's get a move on, everyone."

* * *

Allen had opened the diner again, but it had been going slow - what with the murders and all. There had been no reason to alert Mandy or Svetlana to come back into work.

There's only two people in the diner at the moment, and one of them, an older man who looks to be in his fifties, seems to be getting ready to leave. Having nothing else to do, Allen has seated himself at the counter and is working on yet another sudoku puzzle. He doesn't know how many he's done now, and he wishes another customer would come in, if not for any financial reasons then at least so he's not so bored anymore. He hears the bell on the door chime and instantly perks up. Allen turns around in his seat expectantly, but he finds it's Mandy and Svetlana. Not customers, but he's glad to see them. He can guess what they're probably here for though, so he doesn't look forward to disappointing them.

Allen forgets his sudoku puzzle and smiles at the two women, running a hand through his greying hair. "Hope you're not looking to get your jobs back," he says with a long sigh. He gestures with a hand at his near empty diner, now only with one occupant. "As you can see, there's not much need right now."

Mandy blows her bangs out of her face. "Great," she says dryly. "Well, you mind if we hang a bit? Not like job hunting is really something we're in the mood for right now. And apparently getting out of the house is supposed to be good for you or something."

Allen snorts. "Help yourself. We can catchup, gossip even."

Mandy laughs and Svetlana rolls her eyes but smiles despite herself and takes a seat opposite from Mandy at a booth.

"I have idea," Svetlana says.

Mandy and Allen wait for her to elaborate.

Svetlana addresses Mandy. "Your brothers will have better luck at construction job, yes? City won't stop building no matter who dies or how they die."

"I'd believe that more if it didn't take like over a year just to build a damn Starbucks," Mandy answers. "But I get what you're saying. I'll call them and ask them to send some of their construction buddies over for their breaks."

"Nice thinking, Svetlana," Allen praises.

Svetlana forces a smile, not used to receiving compliments from anyone other than Nika and Ian.

Mandy calls her brothers for the favor. It's not much, with everything that's been going on, but at least they have this. At least they can help Allen, and distract themselves for a few hours.

Mandy hangs up promptly and she, Svetlana, and Allen eagerly await their customers. They kill time with some small talk, unbeknownst to them of the man watching from across the street. The same one who was in the diner a few minutes ago. He sits on a bench, pretending he's waiting for a bus, smoking through his last cigarette. He stays put until he sees a few more people walking into the diner, the ones Mandy surely asked her brothers about.

The customers are seated quickly, Svetlana and Mandy taking their orders. As Mandy sticks the paper she scribbled an order on to the spinning rack, she senses someone's eyes on her. Admittedly, that's not uncommon in a diner, but this feels different than when she can sense a guy checking her out. However, when she turns around she doesn't see anyone obviously looking at her. Across the street she barely catches a man turning a corner, but she doesn't think she should find that odd. Still, her brows furrow momentarily before shaking the unwelcoming feeling off with a shrug, and goes back to work.

* * *

Back at the house, Mickey was getting pretty bored. He had been idly surfing channels for a while now but he couldn't settle on anything to watch. His mind was just too preoccupied. He wanted to be with Ian, just be close to him. Maybe everything that had happened was making him a little clingy, but he honestly didn't care anymore. Mickey clicked the television off with the remote and went to the spare bedroom he was sharing with Ian for the time being.

Mickey instantly breathed a sigh of relief and calm when he stepped into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. The room was dark. The windows had been painted with black paint and then sealed with cardboard and tape. It was the best Svetlana could do for Nika when she got the place. _Clever_, Mickey thought. He sighed again, and half smiled at Ian sleeping soundly on the bed.

Ian can't breathe, or rather, he doesn't. Mickey knows that, but he still likes to pretend he can see Ian's chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. He makes his way to Ian, who's sleeping above the covers. Ian's not affected by heat or cold, so it really doesn't make a difference. Mickey chuckles slightly. There seems to be a lot of perks to being a vampire. And for Mickey, the greatest perk of all would be that he'd get to be together with Ian - forever.

Or at least, a really long time.

Mickey settles on his side, facing Ian. He stares at him briefly before bringing a hand to Ian's cheek, stroking it gently. Ian stirs under Mickey's touch. He places his own hand over Mickey's and wills his eyes open.

"Y'know," Ian begins, voice heavy with sleep, "it's dangerous to wake a sleeping vampire."

Mickey smiles. "Guess it's lucky you like me then."

"Guess so," Ian replies. He and Mickey are quiet for a moment, and then Ian reaches out to bring Mickey in for a soft kiss by the back of Mickey's neck.

Mickey is willing, easily melting into the feeling of Ian's lips against his. There's no desire between them to go further at the moment. They're just kissing. And it feels pretty great.

Ian eventually pulls away. "I more than like you, Mickey. I love you."

Mickey's eyes widen, surprised by the sudden confession. He smiles again though, wider than before. "I love you too." Ian's face turns sullen abruptly, confusing Mickey, but he waits for Ian to respond.

"Do you think it's strange?" Ian asks.

"What?"

"That we can say we love each other?"

Mickey furrows his eyebrows, not liking the direction this conversation seems to be going. "Why would I think that's strange?"

"We haven't been together very long," Ian points out. "Haven't even known each other that long either."

"Would it make a difference if we did?" Mickey asks. He doesn't wait for an answer though and continues speaking. "Since we met, we've been through more shit than most people have."

"Maybe that's not such a good thing." Through their blood bond, Ian can sense Mickey's heart rate pick up a few beats. "I'm not - I'm not gonna end this, Mickey. I would never… I couldn't even if I wanted to."

Mickey scowls unappreciatively. Sometimes he rather enjoys his bond with Ian, other times it just flat out sucks. "Then why are you talking like this?"

"Because I can sense that you wanna ask me to turn you soon, and I don't think that I should."

"Why the hell not?"

"I just wonder if it would have been better if you hadn't met me that night at the garage. Maybe you wouldn't be in all this."

"Jesus Christ, Ian," Mickey huffs and sits up cross-legged. "Stop talking like you're so fucking guilty. I chose this. I chose you… I'm still choosing you."

Ian sits up as well, matching Mickey's pose. "I don't want to take you away from your family."

"Who says I'd be going anywhere?" Mickey answers back. "Just because I'd be a vampire, doesn't mean I still couldn't see my brothers and Mandy. I mean, you're not gonna keep me on lock down or anything, right?"

"Well, no, of course not-"

"Then what's the big deal?"

"It is a big deal, Mickey!" Ian stresses. "You may not think it is. How could you? But it's a pretty big change, like an actual life and death change. Technically, you _would_ be dead."

Mickey suddenly flashes back to the first night he met Ian. _Death isn't something to be taken lightly, Mick._ Maybe when Ian had said that, he wasn't just talking about taking a life."Alright," Mickey sighs deeply. Their argument seemed pointless, and it didn't seem he was going to win. All he had wanted was to be near Ian right now. "This isn't going anywhere. It's not like I want you to turn me tonight."

"Yeah, but still pretty soon."

Mickey glares at Ian again but it's hard to keep up when Ian leans in to nip at Mickey's neck, sensing his desire for closeness. He turns his head to capture Ian's lips. Mickey smirks when Ian begins to emit a low growl, but is taken unawares when Ian pushes him onto his back with Ian's vampiric speed, gasping into Ian's mouth.

"Shit," Ian swears, pulling away. "I should go back to sleep before the bleeds start."

Mickey groans in vexation.

"Enough with the sexual frustration," Ian chides. "I got enough of that on my own."

"Neither of us would be frustrated if you just fucked me."

Ian huffs out a laugh, sitting up again. "Okay, you know what this is? This is my blood making you horny. Well, horni_er._"

"So?" Mickey whines.

"There will be plenty of time for me to fuck you when all this over."

Mickey rolls his eyes but doesn't push any further. He hops off the bed and kisses Ian softly before letting him lie down again. He waits for Ian to fall asleep again, which doesn't take long, before exiting the room.

Across the hall, Mickey peeks into Svetlana's bedroom to check on Nika. The room doesn't look much different, other than it had more stuff than the spare bedroom, and Nika is sleeping quietly on the bed. Mickey lingers at the doorway a moment or two and returns to the living room.

As much as Mickey liked staying in, he is still bored as hell. He wonders if he should have gone with Mandy and Svetlana anyway, but he just really hadn't wanted to leave two vampires unguarded during the day. Mickey decides he should at least take a walk to stretch his legs. Maybe he'll get a late lunch. The diner isn't far, but it's not that close either. There is a decent little bakery around the corner though that Mickey spotted on the way over last night. With his mind made up, Mickey grabs his wallet and extra set of keys Svetlana left him, making sure to lock the door behind him.

Mickey walks the short distance to the bakery and orders a chocolate chip muffin, along with a cup of coffee. He sits down at a small, circular table with his mid-afternoon snack, absentmindedly thumbing at his neck. He knows there are no new bite marks there, but he can still feel the memory of them. Sometimes he thinks people can see them, or know that they were there. It's silly, but it makes him feel a little self-conscious. And if he's being honest with himself, he kind of misses them too. He doesn't like people staring at him more than they already do, but he likes carrying a reminder of Ian on himself when Ian isn't around. Rubberneckers be damned.

Finishing his last bite, Mickey crumples up his trash and throws it away as he stands up to leave. The sight Mickey sees as he exits the bakery has him feeling a little clueless. He doesn't even fully register it until he's walked a couple steps. But then he stops and frowns at himself, turning back, hoping his mind was just playing a mean trick on him.

No such luck though, because he can feel his stomach drop, the dessert he just ate threatening to come back up his throat.

Across the street, leaning against an out of order pay phone is Terry, and he's looking straight at Mickey. His eyes cut through Mickey, just as evil as they've always been, as they'll always be.

_This isn't happening, this isn't happening, this isn't happening._

Mickey doesn't know what to do. He's nearly frozen in place. He knows he can't go back to the apartment. Terry would just follow him. Hell, the bastard probably wouldn't even let him get that far. And there's still hours of daylight left. If Mickey made a break for it, Ian and Nika wouldn't be able to help him even if they wanted to. But Terry's just staring at him - waiting. It's obvious to Mickey what he has to do now. He swallows hard and forces his feet to move towards the crosswalk. Terry smirks at him. Clearly Mickey is walking into some sort of trap, but he doesn't seem to have much choice right now.

* * *

Ian stirs suddenly, and sits up abruptly in the bed. He thought he felt Mickey in a panic, in danger. It was only briefly, but it had been strong enough to wake him. He glances at the clock on the nightstand and it's barely a quarter to three. Ian curses and exits the bedroom. There's a stream of sunlight coming in from the curtains that haven't been pulled completely closed, but Ian is able to avoid it and closes the curtains carefully. There's no sign of Mickey anywhere in the apartment and Ian is now definitely worried.

Cursing again, Ian fishes his phone out from his sweat pants and dials Svetlana's number. Svetlana picks up on the third ring, and Ian starts before she can get a word out.

"Is Mickey at the diner with you and Mandy?"

_"You should be sleeping."_

Ian grunts in frustration. "Is he, or isn't he there?"

_"No, I thought he stay with you."_

"He's not here."

_"Maybe he go out."_

"No, you don't understand. I felt something, something bad. And now he's not here… Lana…" Ian trails off, willing himself to calm down as much as he can. Svetlana doesn't reply for a few moments but he can hear her voice on the other end. "Lana," Ian demands.

_"I am here. I tell Mandy to call her brothers. They left a little while ago."_

"They were there?"

_"They came for lunch. Maybe they are with Mickey now."_

Ian doesn't know how likely that is, but he hopes and prays Mickey is with his brothers. There's another silence, and then he hears Svetlana exchange words with someone, probably Mandy.

_"Ian?"_

"I'm here."

Svetlana sighs before she speaks. _"Mickey's brothers do not know where he is."_

"Fuck!" Ian curses. "I have to go look for him!"

_"How?"_ Svetlana questions. _"There is still light out. You will die before you take ten steps!"_

Ian yells and flings a desk lamp across the room, the glass shattering against the wall. "Well, what the hell do you expect me to do?"

Svetlana swears in Russian at Ian's outburst. _"You don't even know if anything has happened to him."_

"Hey! What is going on out here?" Nika demands, unappreciative of being woken up. She rubs the sleep from her eyes and then flips Ian off when he ignores her.

"I told you, I felt something bad. It was short, but I know this isn't good." There's more muffled words before Ian gets a response.

_"Alright, we will be there soon. You should call that detective."_

As soon as Svetlana hangs up, Ian is dialing Dupree's cell.

"Ian!" Nika practically shouts. "Tell me what is going on?" Her face is hard, but beneath that there is concern, genuine worry. Not many people would be able to pick up on it. A vampire has to be good at concealing their emotions, but Ian sees through Nika, as sure as she can see through his anger covering up his fear right now. Suddenly Ian is reminded he's not in this alone, and he's thankful.

"Mickey's gone," Ian answers. "I felt him panic. It woke me up and when I saw he wasn't anywhere else in the apartment… I don't know. I'm kind of freaking out right now." Ian releases a shaky breath. "He's not with any of his siblings, and right now I'm calling-"

_"Hello?"_ Ian's voice is cut off, Dupree finally answering his phone. _"Ian?"_

"Yeah, Detective. There wouldn't be any chance Mickey's with you or out with Cortez and Jameson, would there?"

Dupree snorts. _"That a fuckin' joke?"_

"Is he with you or not?"

_"No. I'm at the hospital again. There something going on?"_

"I think Mickey's missing."

* * *

Mickey hasn't said anything to Terry since he started following him to wherever he's leading Mickey. Terry hasn't said anything either, but he keeps looking back at Mickey to make sure he's still there, his face just as mean as Mickey remembers. Mickey's no fool though, he's keeping his distance as much and as long as he can. Mickey glances around the neighborhood they're in. It's residential, but it looks mostly empty, just dirty abandoned houses on either side of him. He's distracted by the spooky looking houses that he doesn't notice Terry standing next to an old dark green van with the side door wide open. Mickey halts abruptly, closer to Terry than he's comfortable with, and waits.

Terry snarls, actually fucking snarls at him, and grabs him roughly by the back of his shirt collar. "Get in the fucking van."

Mickey suppresses the shudder that wants to pass throughout his body and lets himself be shoved into the back of the vehicle. There are no seats, so he settles on the hard metal surface. It's cold, and he can almost feel it seeping through his clothes. He tries to calm himself down as much as possible. Mickey knows that if he lets himself be in the moment too much, Ian will be able to sense it. And then Ian, knowing how he is, will undoubtedly try some hero shit and go outside with the sun still out.

The car rumbles to life and Mickey is momentarily brought out of his daze. Terry casts him another glance over his shoulder and smirks.

During the ride, Mickey and Terry are silent. Mickey wishes that wherever they're going, they won't reach until it's dark. That way he knows Ian would be able to make it to him in time. Somehow, though, Mickey knows that's not going to happen. And sooner than he likes, the car comes to a stop.

"You know what's about to happen, don't you?" Terry asks, eyeing Mickey through the rearview mirror. "'Course you do. Fuckin' serves you right, little bitch. Not only are you a fag, but now you're a fangbanging fag."

Terry's words are harsh and cruel. It doesn't matter how many times he's heard them, Mickey isn't used to them. They're words no one can ever get used to.

Mickey closes his eyes momentarily and breathes in deeply. If there is one thing he's used to, it's steeling his features, making sure what he's feeling is expertly masked. When he opens his eyes again, Mickey looks directly at Terry through the mirror. "Let's get this over with. Or are you just gonna sit there spitting out the same old shit you used to before Mandy ran you out of town with your tail between your legs?"

As if a conditioned response, Terry storms out of the van and yanks Mickey out, shoving him against the side. Mickey slumps to the ground, the pain biting into his back. When he's hauled to his feet, he notices the house they've arrived at is nothing short of a mansion. There were no other houses or buildings Mickey could see, just trees in every direction.

Mickey lets himself be forcibly steered towards the house. Terry keeps a tight grip on the back of Mickey's neck as he opens the door and pushes Mickey inside. Mickey takes in his new surroundings. The house has wooden floors, he doesn't know what kind, Mickey doesn't know about types of wood. There's a lot of carpets though, each one with an intricate and colorful design. The walls are lined with expensive paintings, and Mickey thinks he can even hear classical music coming from somewhere. Honestly, Mickey could roll his eyes at how cliche this is turning out to be, if it weren't for the fact that he's in serious danger right now.

"Through there," Terry instructs, nodding at a room with double doors.

Mickey's feet are moving before his mind can catch up, and when he enters the room Mickey sees him.

Jimmy is casually leaning against his desk, smiling, happily waiting on Mickey. "Hello, again."

The calm in Jimmy's voice makes Mickey queasy. Like, this whole situation is normal. Like luring people to their deaths is normal. Then again, for someone like Jimmy, it probably is. And then Mickey realizes he very well could die at any moment right now. There's not much he can do at this point to slow down his heart rate, and he knows Ian must be losing it right now not being able to do anything. Then, Mickey asks what he knows is a dumb question given his predicament. "How are you awake right now?"

Jimmy smiles, seemingly understanding Mickey's train of thought, even if Mickey himself doesn't. "I don't need sleep like younger vampires do. I mean, of course, I _need_ it. But I don't need it as much."

Mickey visibly swallows before speaking again. "Whatever you're gonna do, just do it quick."

Jimmy smiles again, his fangs slightly protruding, and then he laughs. "No… like I said the other night, it's not you or anyone else I want to hurt - it's Ian. Though, hurting you would hurt Ian, and there's plenty of ways that can go… but I think I've come up with something better."

"You said I'd get him after this is all done," Terry speaks up.

With a bored look on his face, Jimmy turns to him. "And you will. Just sit back for a while, Terry," Jimmy says, motioning to one of the couches on either side of the doors. "Relax, for Christ's sake."

Before Terry moves, Mickey snorts rudely at him. "Who's the bitch now?"

Terry only gets a few steps in before Jimmy knocks him down on his ass faster than either he or Mickey can see. Jimmy bends down directly in front of Terry's face. "Go sit down on the couch now." He doesn't glamour Terry. Instead, he speaks slowly and clearly, daring Terry to make a move against him. But Terry does as he's told, and Mickey would be lying if he said he didn't get some sick satisfaction in seeing Terry being ordered around.

Jimmy turns back to Mickey. "You too, Mickey," he says, gesturing at the cushioned chairs in front of his desk. "We have much to discuss."

* * *

**Notes:** Oh my god, there it is! I can't believe I finally updated this fic!

I am infinitely sorry this took me so long to update. After the mess that was season five, especially the last few episodes, it was so difficult for me to get back into writing anything really. I did manage to write a few other things, but I just couldn't get back to anything I'd written prior to s5 airing. Ultimately, I think I just needed time to process everything, something I'm still doing, and not sure I'll ever be done with. Idk maybe that sounds dumb, but Shameless meant a great deal to me (as I'm sure it did to many of you) and it was truly heartbreaking seeing it crash and burn the way it did. /SIGH/

Anyways, as I promised, I am finishing this fic (and all my others) no matter how long it takes me! I still haven't gotten back into a writing schedule, but I am already working on the following chapter, so I hope to get that out sooner than this update took. And I think this story only has a few more chapters to go now. We're nearing the home stretch, here.

As always, I'm on tumblr at i-like-em-sweet :)


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